Specialist High Skills Major

The Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program offers Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) students in Grades 11 and 12 the opportunity to explore a specific area or career of interest and to acquire the skills and experience that will assist them in their post-secondary pathway:

Apprenticeship training
College
University
Workplace

The Five Components of an SHSM Diploma

At the TCDSB, there are over 2,300 students enrolled in 76 SHSM programs across 28 high schools. Students may register for a program offered by their home school.

Each SHSM program includes the following components:

1. Bundle of Credits

Eight to ten Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits consisting of:

Four major credits.

Two to four other required credits.
A minimum of two required cooperative education credits.

2. Certification and Training

All SHSM programs require 6-8 sector-recognized certifications or training courses. They include specified numbers of:

Compulsory certifications or training courses (e.g.: Standard First Aid, CPR level C).

Elective certifications and/or training courses, which are selected from a list provided by the Ministry of Education for each sector.

3. Experiential Learning and Career Exploration Activities

Experiential learning and career exploration activities allow students to explore, observe, participate in and reflect on a variety of sector-specific experiences and careers.

These activities enable students enrolled in the SHSM program to learn about the opportunities available to them in careers that interest them (i.e.: Skills Canada competition, job shadowing and career fair/panel conference).

4. Reach Ahead Experiences

These are learning experiences that are connected with the student’s post-secondary plan (i.e.: attending a conference/workshop, touring a post-secondary institution, completing a Dual Credit course, etc.).

5. Sector-Partnered Experiences (SPE)

SPE activities are experiential activities co-delivered with a sector partner. They provide students with the opportunity to gain insight into the relationship between their sector program and how the following are used within the sector:

Mathematical Literacy.

Contextualized Coding.

ICE (Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship).

Graduation

Upon graduation, students who complete an SHSM program will receive:

An Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with an embossed SHSM seal of distinction.
A SHSM Record Card documenting the student's achievement placed in the student's Ontario Student Record.

SHSM Advantages

Students in SHSM programs have the opportunity to do the followings:

Customize their secondary school education to suit their interests and talents through a specialized package of credits.

Develop sector-recognized knowledge and skills while earning their OSSD.
Explore, identify, and refine career goals - cooperative education credits allow students to practice and refine skill development, network with professionals working in the sector and gain sector-specific employment experience.
Make informed decisions regarding post-secondary destinations.
Access resources, equipment, and expertise that may not be available in their home secondary school.
Receive a special SHSM red seal designation on their diploma.
Network with potential employers.

SHSM Post-Secondary Opportunities

SHSM students identify themselves through a checkbox on OCAS and OUAC when they are applying to College or University. There are scholarship and incentive opportunities for SHSM graduates at some of the following post-secondary institutions: