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Specialist High Skills Major (S.H.S.M.)

Student success is about meeting the individual learning needs of each and every student. Schools are providing students with more opportunities to customize their high school experience and build on their strengths and interests through a variety of new and enhanced learning options. One of these options are Specialist High Skills Major.
 

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How is a SHSM recognized? 
Students who successfully complete their Specialist High Skills Major receive:

 

  • An Ontario Secondary School Diploma with an embossed red seal

  • A SHSM Record documenting his/her achievements

  • Formal recognition on his/her Ontario Student Transcript

 

Who can sign up?

Students currently in grade 11 or 12 who are heading for University, College, Apprenticeship or the Workplace.

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Stratford District Secondary School has 8 Specialist High Skills Majors to choose from:
 
Energy
Health & Wellness
Hospitality & Tourism
Manufacturing
Transportation
Environment - New Digs Program
Information Communication Technology (ICT)
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New Digs - Environment

The newest member of the SHSM family started in Sept. 2018.  The program features programming related to our greenhouse, courtyard gardens and the completion of an aquaponics systems as well as Vertical Growing Systems.
Health & Wellness
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​​This sector not only has a wide variety of careers, but also is significant for the number of workers it employs. 

Kinesiologist, child care worker, fitness instructor, doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, youth care worker, hairstylist, or aesthetician are just some of the numerous and varied occupations in the health and wellness sector.

Transportation​
 

​​This sector provides students with a strong foundation for a wide variety of careers in the transportation sector, from those focusing on the service, repair, and modification of vehicles and vehicle systems to those related to the organization and management of transportation services. 

Automotive, motorcycle or truck and coach mechanic or technician, small engine mechanic, heavy equipment operators, industrial designer and automotive engineer are just a few of the occupations that fall under the transportation sector.

Manufacturing​
 

​​The SHSM in manufacturing provides students with a strong foundation for a wide variety of careers in the manufacturing sector, from those focusing on the service, repair and modification of vehicles to those related to the organization and management of manufacturing services. 

Machinist, tool and die maker, welder, manufacturing technician/technologist, mechanical engineer and machine operator are just a few of the occupations that fall under the manufacturing sector.

Energy
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​​Energy is an emerging and expanding sector that encompasses all aspects of energy generation, distribution, and consumption, including research and development, design, construction, installation, and maintenance.

 

Core industries in this sector include:
 

  • Renewable and alternative energy such as wind, solar, and biomass

  • Power generation and distribution

  • Fossil fuels

  • Energy efficiency

Hospitality & Tourism​
 

​​The tourism industry presents many advantages for employees because it offers a selecton of well over 400 occupations.  Tourism jobs also tend to provide plenty of opportunities for advancement, widely transferable skills, and ongoing training.

The tourism industry is divided into five sub-sectors:

  • Hospitality and Tourism

  • Accommodation

  • Food and Beverage Services

  • Recreation

  • Travel Services

For more information about SHSM:

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