Specialist High Skills Majors

Specialist High Skills Major

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a program approved by the Ministry of Education where students focus their studies on a specific economic sector while meeting the requirements of the OSSD.

According to the Ontario Labour, Training and Skills Development Council, the construction, automotive and manufacturing industries make up Ontario’s largest employers. The Construction Sector Council has created a province-by-province, trade-by-trade labour market forecast for the next nine years. In Ontario, it is estimated that 60,000 workers will be required to replace those retiring, who will take essential technical, supervisory and management skills with them.

At CVDCS we offer three SHSM programs: Health and Wellness, Trades, and Arts and Culture.

The SHSM pathways at CVDCS enable students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills before graduating and entering apprenticeship training, college, university, or an entry-level positions in the workplace. The SHSMs at CVDCS are designed to have a variety of focuses – for example, nursing, PSW, physiotherapy, construction (woodworking), cabinet and furniture manufacturing, transportation, automotive, heavy-duty equipment, manufacturing (welding), graphic design, and game design.