Special High Skills Major (SHSM) Programs and Focus Programs were introduced by the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board to provide high school students with a special opportunity to take a concentration of courses that may not be available in their home school. Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Programs and Focus Programs are being offered at high schools throughout the District.

Students enrolled in these programs will attend the host school for one semester and will return to their home school to complete their secondary school diploma requirements. There are a number of tangible benefits for students taking these programs:

Enhanced skills in an area of interest
Learning from professionals in the field
Starting to build a professional network
Making important career contacts
Studying with other students with shared interests
Preparing for university, college, apprenticeship or the workplace
Earning valuable industry certifications
Getting an early start on a rewarding career

Focus programs allow students to explore an area of interest in Grade 11 or 12. Students attend the program for one semester at a designated school and are able to earn four credits.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Programs offer in-depth training in an employment sector. Students are required to take a bundle of credits. They attend one semester at a designated school and earn remaining credits or requirements at their home school. On completion of all requirements, students obtain a red seal on their OSSD plus receive an additional record of their program on their transcript. Download the SHSM-Focus Overview PDF

Advanced Culinary Education (SHSM) — Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School

Students will acquire practical skills in a commercial kitchen; with a focus on catering, baking, and food preparation skills. They will prepare and serve meals for groups of all sizes, demonstrating a variety of service styles. They will demonstrate safe operation of industry standard equipment, food handling, safety and sanitation. The Food Handler’s Certificate and Smart Serve certification will be offered, as will other trade certifications such as First Aid and WHMIS. Students will be well prepared for hospitality careers in the food and beverage sector. This program is offered to senior students in a non-semestered setting as double credits in Hospitality and Tourism for both their grade 11 and 12 years. Students are expected to participate in related work experience as well as mandatory cooperative education credits.
Prerequisite: None
Download the Hospitality and Tourism brochure

Broadcasting/Digital Media (SHSM) — Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School

Students have the opportunity to develop skills in the latest forms of new media production. They will become competent in the use of a diverse cross-section of state-of-the-art technologies and industry standard software and hardware. Students in the Broadcasting stream will work in the school’s advanced television studio, where they will learn the many tips and tricks necessary to produce live studio-based shows, pre-recorded ENG segments, and major multi-camera productions that capture audience attention and effectively drive home the message. The skills developed are appropriate for students entering the fields of broadcasting, journalism or multimedia, where they need to sell themselves or their ideas.

Students in the Digital Media stream will develop advanced visual designs, layouts and illustrations, websites, 2-D and 3-D renderings and animations, and custom-authored interactive multimedia presentations. The skills developed are appropriate to students entering the fields of visual design, game development or multimedia, where quality visual presentation is paramount.
Prerequisite: None
Download the Information and Communications Technology brochure

Cabinet Making (Focus) — Glebe Collegiate Institute

Students will work with their teacher and cabinet-making companies in a cooperative environment to plan, design, and construct cabinet projects for schools, residential, and commercial sites. Students will learn to use hand and power tools appropriate to construction projects. Through a variety of cabinet-making projects, students will learn the art of joinery and how to select and install trim finishes. The program will also include the study of stains and lacquers as they apply to cabinet projects. Instruction will take place in the construction shop, classroom, and through projects undertaken in the community.
Prerequisite: None
Download the Cabinet Making (PDF) brochure

Communication & Design (Arts & Culture SHSM) — Merivale High School

Students have the opportunity to enhance their layout and design skills, expand their knowledge of typography, and create specific artwork that is driven by client and consumer needs. Students will focus on traditional media with assignments involving gouache and acrylic paint, prisma-colour pencil and ink. Students will also enter the digital environment, learning how to create vector graphics, scan images, and use Photoshop and Quark Xpress. During the Photography component, students will heighten compositional skills, shoot and process conventional black and white photos, solve compositional problems, and develop and selectively crop their images. In the Communications technology lab, students will apply skills to a series of published documents and will also gain practical experience with internet publishing and Flash animation. Students will develop a comprehensive portfolio and will have practical experiences relating to the communication and design industry in the Ottawa-Carleton area. Projects will satisfy the portfolio requirements of many graphic design faculties.
Prerequisite: None
Download the Arts and Culture (PDF) brochure

Electrical and Plumbing (SHSM) — Rideau High School

Health & Wellness (SHSM) — South Carleton High School

House Building (Construction SHSM) — Nepean High School, Rideau High School, South Carleton High School, West Carleton High School, Osgoode Township High School, Sir Wilfrid Laurier High School, and Elizabeth Wyn Wood Alternate School (Focus)

Students will work with their teacher and a home-building company in a cooperative environment to construct or renovate a house. Through a variety of in-class and on-site projects, students will focus on traditional and advanced construction techniques, as they apply to the home-building industry. Students will work on floor, wall, and roof framing, install sheathing, windows and doors, insulation, drywall, painting, trim, and flooring. Students will also apply estimating skills as they relate to lumber take-offs, square footage, volume, and boardfeet. Instruction will take place in-class and on a construction site.
Prerequisite: Students must be 16 years of age or older.
Download the Construction (PDF) brochure

Green Learning (Environment) (SHSM) — Nepean High School

Businesses and governments are looking for new and innovative solutions to a myriad of issues, such as climate change, natural resource depletion, air and water pollution, waste management, and loss of biodiversity. This program will provide students with an opportunity to become participants in helping to provide solutions to some of these local and provincial issues. The program focuses on environmental protection and stewardship as it relates to renewable energy, sustainable societies, and the conservation and preservation of the natural world. Experiential learning opportunities include field ecology, habitat restoration, environmental impact studies of terrestrial, and aquatic ecosystems. Students will also learn how to use technology in their decision making (e.g. GPS, GIS, Arc View) and data to model future scenarios.
Prerequisite: None
Download the Environment (PDF) brochure

Justice, Community Safety, and Emergency Services (SHSM) — Osgoode Township High School, Sir Robert Borden High School

Landscape & Design (Focus) — Bell High School

Students will focus on design, construction, and maintenance relating to the landscaping industry. Students will work with their teacher and landscape companies in a cooperative environment to plan, design, and construct outdoor spaces for schools, residential, and commercial sites. Students will learn to use hand-and-power tools appropriate to construction projects. Through a variety of in-class and on-site projects, students will learn the fundamentals of landscape design, the art of working with interlocking stone, and the essentials of creating and installing retaining walls. In addition, students will learn how to install water features in landscaping projects. The program will also include the study of plant and tree species and their use in landscape design. Instruction will take place in the greenhouse, classroom, and through projects undertaken in the community.
Prerequisite: None
Download the Landscape & Design (PDF) brochure

Manufacturing (SHSM) — South Carleton High School (Fabrication)

Students have the opportunity to experience the fabrication trade through a variety of on-site and in-class projects which focus on design, welding, and quality control standards as they relate to the manufacturing industry. Student work will include both traditional and advanced manufacturing processes as they apply to design principles, electronic, pneumatic, and hydraulic control systems. Students will investigate, evaluate and select metals appropriate for projects and learn to use hand tools, power tools and welding techniques. Instruction will take place in the manufacturing shop, classroom, and through projects undertaken in the community.
Prerequisite: None
Download the Manufacturing (PDF) brochure

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