What is a Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)?
The Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) Program is a ministry-approved specialized program that allows students to identify, explore, and refine post-secondary goals that match their interests, skills and talents. Students join an SHSM program in grade 11 and grade 12 while working towards their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Students can earn an SHSM accreditation regardless of听their post-secondary pathway: apprenticeship training, college, university or workplace.
Why join your school鈥檚 SHSM Program?
Pursuing an SHSM can help students:
- customize their high school education to suit their interests and talents
- develop specialized knowledge and skills
- earn credits that postsecondary educational institutions and employers recognize
- gain sector-recognized certification and career-relevant training
- identify, explore and refine career goals and make informed decisions about their future
- remain flexible, with the option to shift between pathways, should their goals and plans change
- transition after graduation to apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace
- students receive the SHSM Red Seal on their diploma when they:
- complete a specific bundle of 8-10 courses in the student's selected field
- earn industry certifications like First Aid and CPR qualifications
- gain important skills on the job through cooperative education placements
Specialist High Skills Major Programs
DPCDSB offers SHSM programs in the following sectors:
The following schools offer the Arts & Culture SHSM:
The following schools offer the Business SHSM:
The following schools offer the Construction SHSM:
听
The following schools offer the Environment SHSM:
The following schools offer the Health & Wellness Program:
听
The following schools offer the Hospitality & Tourism SHSM:
听
The following schools offer the Information & Communications Technology SHSM:
The following schools offer the Justice, Community Safety & Emergency Services SHSM:
The following schools offer the Non-Profit, Education & Child Care SHSM:
The following schools offer the Sports SHSM:
听
The following schools offer the Transportation SHSM:
Graduating with an SHSM
Students who successfully complete an SHSM program will receive:
- an Ontario Secondary School Diploma with an embossed SHSM Red Seal
- an SHSM record card documenting their achievement
- formal recognition on their Ontario Student Transcript
For more information:
Please contact your school鈥檚 guidance counsellor or Student Success Coordinator, Robby Costa at 905-890-0708 ext. 24412 or [email protected]
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More detailed information about SHSMs can be found at