Overview - Manufacturing

The Specialist High Skills Major – Manufacturing enables students to customize their high school experience to suit their interests and talents, and prepare for a successful postsecondary transition to apprenticeship training, college, university, or employment, while meeting the requirements of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). The major enables students to gain the sector-identified preparatory credits, skills and knowledge, and make informed career decisions. This makes the learning environment more engaging for students, focuses them on graduation and prepares them to pursue their career goals.

Students are able to enter a SHSM based on their readiness and the alignment of the program with their interests and postsecondary goals. Entry should occur no later than Year 3 in order for the student to be appropriately scheduled into the required courses. A student may exit the SHSM before completion without jeopardizing progress towards the OSSD, retaining credits and certifications earned up to that point.

Students in the Specialist High Skills Major – Manufacturing:
• select a bundle of required credits in a ministry-approved framework including:
• Manufacturing ‘major’ credits that provide sector specific knowledge and skills, and
• required credits from the Ontario curriculum: Civics/Career Studies (or Discovering the Workplace if a substitution is made), English, science and mathematics, delivered in the context of the manufacturing sector;
• earn sector-recognized certifications;
• engage in experiential learning through job shadowing, work experience, and cooperative education;
• use the Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) to document demonstration of essential skills and work habits;
• engage in ‘reach ahead’ experiences, e.g., earn ministry-approved dual credits for college and/or university courses and/or participate in Level 1 Apprenticeship in-school training, and other ‘next step’ experiences.