What is a Specialist High Skills Major?

A Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a Ministry of Education approved program that allows students to focus their learning on a specific economic sector, while meeting the requirement of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The program also assists students in their transition from secondary school to apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace. An SHSM enables students to gain sector specific skills and knowledge.

The St. Catharines Collegiate has been approved by the Ministry of Education to offer the Construction SHSM.

Profile of the Construction Sector

The SHSM–Construction enables students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills before entering apprenticeship training, college, university, or an entry-level position in the workplace.

What will students learn in the Construction major study?

A bundle of 10 Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits

These credits make up the bundle:

four construction major credits that provide sector-specific knowledge and skills. The four courses must include at least one Grade 11 and one Grade 12 credit, and may include one cooperative education credit related to the sector. (This cooperative education credit would be additional to the two that are required in the bundle; see below);
four other required credits from the Ontario curriculum. Schools may commit to including a contextualized learning activity (CLA) for the construction sector in each of the four credits. In each credit, some of the course expectations are then met through the CLA. (Schools that do not formally commit to including CLAs are still free to offer them in one or more of the credits.)

For the apprenticeship training, college, and university pathways, the four credits include:

one in English;
two in mathematics (one credit must be in Grade 12); and
one in science or business studies (or a cooperative education credit related to the sector, which would be additional to the two cooperative education credits required in the bundle; see below);

For the workplace pathway, the four credits include:

two in English (one credit must be in Grade 12);
one in mathematics; and
one in science or business studies (or a cooperative education credit related to the sector, which would be additional to the two cooperative education credits required in the bundle; see below);

two cooperative education credits that provide authentic learning experiences in a workplace setting, enabling students to refine, extend, apply, and practise knowledge and skills outlined in the cooperative education curriculum as well as sector-specific knowledge and skills.

-Experiential learning and career exploration activities

-Sector-recognized certifications and/or training courses/programs

-Reach ahead experiences:

Students are provided one or more reach ahead experiences – opportunities to take the next steps along their chosen pathway – as shown in the following examples:

Apprenticeship: visiting an approved apprenticeship delivery agent in the sector
College: interviewing a college student enrolled in a sector-specific program
University: observing a university class in a sector-related program
Workplace: interviewing an employee in the sector

-Sector-partnered experiences (SPEs)

Students engage with a sector partner and apply skills to gain insight into the relationship between this sector and ICE (innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship), coding, and/or mathematical literacy.

What are the future career paths for construction?

For transportation majors, possible careers include:

Apprenticeship – Concrete Finisher, Construction Millwright, Plumber
College – Architectural Technician, Construction Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technician – Industrial
University – Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering
Entry level workplace – Construction Techniques, Gas Metal Arc Welding, Mechanical Techniques – CNC/CAD/CAM Specialist