For parents and students
SHSM in Ontario: The Specialist High Skills Major Explained
What an SHSM is, the 19 sectors, what is in the bundle of credits, the certifications, how it shows on your diploma, whether it helps with college or an apprenticeship, and how to ask your school.
Published Last reviewed How we research and correct this
The short version
An SHSM is a way to point your last two years of high school at one sector, such as construction, health and wellness or hospitality, while still earning the regular diploma. You take a bundle of credits, earn certifications, and finish with an SHSM seal on the diploma. Your school offers only some sectors, so start with guidance. This page makes no promise about what it will lead to.
What is an SHSM?
A Specialist High Skills Major is a specialized high school program that lets you earn your Ontario Secondary School Diploma while focusing your learning on one sector, such as construction or health and wellness. You finish with a diploma that carries an embossed SHSM seal and an SHSM record of what you completed.
The province also says the program has to be offered across four pathways: apprenticeship training, college, university and the workplace. So an SHSM is not only for students heading to the trades.
Which sectors can you choose?
Ontario lists 19 sectors. Your school offers only some of them, and a school needs provincial approval to start a new SHSM program, so the list at your school can differ from the list below.
- Agriculture
- Arts and culture
- Aviation and aerospace
- Business
- Construction
- Energy
- Environment
- Food processing
- Forestry
- Health and wellness
- Horticulture and landscaping
- Hospitality and tourism
- Information and communications technology
- Justice, community safety and emergency services
- Manufacturing
- Mining
- Non-profit, education and child care
- Sports
- Transportation
What is in the bundle of credits?
Ontario's guide describes the bundle as 8 to 10 credits made up of Grade 11, Grade 12 and co-op credits. The number is set by the sector. Construction is a bundle of 10: 4 major credits, 4 other required credits and 2 co-op credits. Arts and culture is a bundle of 8: 4 major, 2 other required and 2 co-op.
The bundle is one of five components. You must complete all five to earn the SHSM designation on your diploma:
- The bundle of credits, as above.
- Certification and training, specific to the sector.
- Experiential learning and career exploration, such as job shadowing and virtual work experience.
- Reach ahead experiences, learning connected to your postsecondary plans.
- Sector-partnered experiences, where you gain skills by working with a partner organization in the sector.
What certifications do you earn?
They depend on the sector. In Construction there are five compulsory certifications: CPR Level C with AED, Intermediate First Aid, WHMIS, Working at Heights and a basic health and safety course, plus two electives chosen from a longer list. In Arts and culture the compulsory three are CPR Level C with AED, Intermediate First Aid and WHMIS. Check your sector's page for the rest.
How does an SHSM show on your diploma?
You receive a high school diploma with an embossed SHSM seal and an SHSM record documenting what you completed. The province's page also says the SHSM is recognized on your Ontario Student Transcript. You only get the seal by completing all five components.
Does an SHSM help you get into college or an apprenticeship?
Ontario says an SHSM helps students develop knowledge and skills that colleges, universities and employers value, and lets them earn credits and certifications that employers and postsecondary institutions recognize. The pages we read do not promise admission or an apprenticeship. Ask the college or sponsor you are aiming at what they count.
For the trades specifically, Skilled Trades Ontario lists SHSM among the high school programs a student can speak to a guidance counsellor about, alongside OYAP and dual credit. The Construction sector includes apprenticeship site visits among its reach ahead options.
How do you enrol in an SHSM?
Ask your guidance counsellor which sectors your school runs. The province's guide is written for school staff and does not set out student steps, but it describes the bundle as Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits, and Ontario's skilled trades page says SHSM targets Grades 11 and 12. If you want a sector your school does not run, ask whether another school in your board does; we did not find an official page on how that works.
How does an SHSM fit with OYAP and the trades?
They are separate programs. An SHSM is a bundle of credits, certifications and experiences in one sector, with a seal on your diploma. OYAP is a co-op placement in a skilled trade that can start an apprenticeship. Skilled Trades Ontario names both as ways to explore the trades in high school. Whether your school lets you do both is a question for guidance; we did not find a page that says.
| Route | What it is | Who | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHSM | A bundle of 8 to 10 credits plus certifications and experiences in one sector, with a seal on the diploma. | Grade 11 and 12 credits plus co-op; ask your school which sectors it runs. | Your school. |
| OYAP | Co-op credits through a placement in a skilled trade; an Ontario Colleges page says students can become registered apprentices. | At least 15, Grade 11 or 12 or equivalent, 14 credits; Grade 10 completers can take part the summer before Grade 11. | Your school board's OYAP recruiter, guidance counsellor or co-op teacher. |
| Regular co-op | Credits through a community work placement combined with classroom instruction. | Not stated on the pages we read. | Your guidance counsellor or co-op teacher. |
| Pre-apprenticeship | Free training of up to 52 weeks with a work placement of 8 to 12 weeks; no guarantee of an apprenticeship. | Youth and adults who have graduated or left school early, among others; it is not a high school program. | Employment Ontario. |
Read the OYAP guide for the apprenticeship side, the trades hub to see what the trades involve, and the parent's guide to apprenticeships for how one runs. For a worked example of one trade, see how to become an electrician; for the wider choice, university, college or apprenticeship. The Job Bank outlook for trades and jobs, described honestly show what the work is like, and the guide for women in the trades is also worth a read. If you also need a first job alongside school, see jobs for teens in Ontario.
Which sector?
Ten minutes. No account, nothing stored.
Questions people ask
Straight answers
- What is an SHSM?
- A Specialist High Skills Major is a specialized high school program that lets you earn your Ontario Secondary School Diploma while focusing your learning on one sector, such as construction or health and wellness. You finish with a diploma that carries an embossed SHSM seal and an SHSM record of what you completed.
- What sectors can you choose for an SHSM?
- Ontario lists 19: agriculture, arts and culture, aviation and aerospace, business, construction, energy, environment, food processing, forestry, health and wellness, horticulture and landscaping, hospitality and tourism, information and communications technology, justice, community safety and emergency services, manufacturing, mining, non-profit, education and child care, sports, and transportation. Your school offers only some of them.
- How many credits are in an SHSM?
- Ontario's guide says the bundle is 8 to 10 credits made up of Grade 11, Grade 12 and co-op credits. The exact number depends on the sector. Construction is 10 credits and Arts and culture is 8, and both include 2 co-op credits.
- Does an SHSM help you get into college or an apprenticeship?
- Ontario says an SHSM helps students develop knowledge and skills that colleges, universities and employers value, and lets them earn credits and certifications that employers and postsecondary institutions recognize. The pages we read do not promise admission or an apprenticeship. Ask the college or sponsor you are aiming at what they count.
- How do you get into an SHSM?
- Ask your guidance counsellor which sectors your school runs. The province's guide is written for school staff and does not set out student steps, but it describes the bundle as Grade 11 and Grade 12 credits, and Ontario's skilled trades page says SHSM targets Grades 11 and 12.
- Is SHSM the same as OYAP?
- No. OYAP is a co-op placement in a skilled trade. An SHSM is a bundle of credits, certifications and experiences in one sector, with a seal on your diploma. Skilled Trades Ontario lists both as ways to explore the trades in high school.
More careers guides
Highest-paying trades OYAP in Ontario Women in the trades What the course code letters mean The OSSLT literacy test The Ontario pathway, 12 to 39 Ontario's 40 volunteer hours Ontario diploma requirements What to do after high school Helping your teenager choose a career Career quizzes for teens Career counselling for students Apprenticeships in Ontario How to become an electrician My teen doesn't know what to do University vs college vs apprenticeship Figuring out what fits you Career aptitude tests for teens Careers that match your strengths Jobs for teens in Ontario Criminology and criminal justice jobs Finished school, can't find a job Jobs, described honestly All careers guides