Specialist High Skills Major

SHSM Not For Profit If you are interested in a Specialist High Skills Major Not For Proﬁt Program, please contact the Guidance ofﬁce at: St. James Catholic High School

SHSM Environement — SHSM Environment If you are interested in a Specialist High Skills Major Environment Program, please contact the Guidance office at: St. James Catholic High School

SHSM TRANSPORTATION — SHSM Transportation If you are interested in a Specialist High Skills Major Transportation Program, please contact the Guidance office at: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School

SHSM Construction If you are interested in a Specialist High Skills Major Construction Program, please contact the Guidance office at: Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School

What is a Specialist High Skills Major?

A Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) is a ministry-approved specialized program that allows students to focus their knowledge and skills and to obtain certifications recognized in specific sectors, as they work towards meeting the requirements for their high school diploma. Fact Sheet

SHSM Fact Sheet 2013

FOR SHSM Programs, we now have 18 programs across 11 sectors at 3 of our high schools:

#	School		Sector
1	Bishop Macdonell	1	Business
2	Bishop Macdonell	2	Construction
3	Bishop Macdonell	3	Information and Communication Technology
4	Bishop Macdonell	4	Not for Profit
5	Our Lady of Lourdes	5	Arts and Culture
6	Our Lady of Lourdes	6	Environment
7	Our Lady of Lourdes	7	Health and Wellness
8	Our Lady of Lourdes	8	Hospitality and Tourism
9	Our Lady of Lourdes	9	Manufacturing
10	Our Lady of Lourdes	10	Transportation
11	St James	5	Arts and Culture
12	St James	6	Environment
13	St James	7	Health and Wellness
14	St James	8	Hospitality and Tourism
15	St James	3	Information and Communication Technology
16	St James	4	Not for Profit
17	St James	11	Sports
18	St James	10	Transportation

Programs are offered in the following areas:

How Will the Specialist High Skills Major Benefit Students?

An SHSM allows a student to experience a range of customized, career-focused learning opportunities. It enables a student to take courses in an area of interest related to a particular sector while working towards a high school diploma.
The focused learning experiences of an SHSM program give students the opportunity to explore, identify, and refine career goals and make informed decisions related to postsecondary education, training, and next steps towards a career.
The experiential learning opportunities provided in an SHSM enable students to refine their skills and improve their work habits, gain confidence in their ability to succeed, and see the connections between their studies, the real world, and their future careers. Students are also able to begin to establish relationships and networks in their chosen fields.
Students who graduate with a SHSM can look forward to improved prospects after secondary school because of the recognition of and support of the SHSM framework in the postsecondary destination of their choice, whether it be apprenticeship training, a college or university program or the workplace.