Expanded Programs

High School expanded programs or job skills programming typically refer to a variety of additional academic or specialized offerings beyond the standard curriculum. These include Specialist High Skills Major or SHSM, the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program or OYAP, Dual Credit Opportunities and Co-op experiences. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program and Specialist High Skills Major are initiatives in the Ontario education system, each offering unique benefits. SHSM programs allow students to focus their studies on specific economic sectors such as health and wellness, arts and culture or transportation. Students can earn industry-recognized certifications related to their chosen sector, enhancing their employability. SHSM includes Cooperative Education placements and experiential learning opportunities in the chosen field, providing real-world insights. It also provides a smooth transition to post-secondary education or work. The program helps students make informed choices about their career path, preparing them for post-secondary education or the workforce. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program provides students with hands-on experiences in the skilled trades through their work placement. It allows students to explore potential careers in the skilled trades while earning high school credits. Successful completion of OYAP can lead to direct entry into apprenticeship programs, creating the transition to a skilled trade. Both OYAP and SHSM aim to better align education with the needs of the workforce, offering students practical skills and experiences that enhance their readiness for future careers. Dual credit programs or programs approved by the Ministry of Education allow students enrolled in secondary school to take college courses or apprenticeship courses delivered by a college and to have those courses count towards both their Ontario Secondary School Diploma and a post-secondary certificate diploma, degree or certificate of apprenticeship.

At Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, experiential learning is a holistic approach to learning by connecting the students to the learning goals and curriculum through physical, emotional and mental engagement. Experiential learning at Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is focused on using the experiential learning cycle which provides students with the opportunity to experience, reflect and apply their new knowledge. Around Keewatin-Patricia District School Board, experiential learning benefits our students by providing a variety of different opportunities for students to make connections beyond the curriculum. Often, we have Elders and Knowledge Keepers share traditional teachings and connecting to literacy and history, students designing and conducting ice fishing experiments following the scientific method, hiking and spending time outdoors to learn language and study environmental science, and completing design and building challenges to grow in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Experiential learning not only helps students achieve their learning goals, but it also benefits our students by providing opportunities for positive character development, strengthening relationships and developing learning skills. Consistently, we see students who typically are disengaged and struggling in the mainstream classroom come to life, remain focused and become leaders when we take their learning outdoors. Their teachers get to know their students better and build relationships. The students get to know each other more, and the classroom becomes a better environment to learn.

My role at the school board is to travel to schools through out board and promote skilled trades in classrooms and shops. I provide project-based learning and hands-on activities that get students excited about tech programs with a primary focus on grades 7 and 8. This is an important role as it gives students the chance to take a more hands on approach to learning and starts giving them exposure to tech programs that they can take in secondary school. Part of this role is also giving grades 7 and 8 a chance to get exposure to what is offered at their local secondary schools and get familiar with the shop programs to have a better understanding of what can be offered to them. What I have noticed the most working with these students and giving them more project-based learning activities is that a hands-on approach helps them to problem solve on their own and to work together as a group to achieve the goals set out for them as this helps them make theory-based education practical applications. I find most students come out with a deeper understanding of what they are learning as they apply it directly to the projects they are working on.