Major Changes Coming to Some Courses in Mississauga High Schools

Published July 3, 2019 at 7:50 pm

school

Some curriculum changes are coming. 

The best skills a student can learn in school are career skills. To help students get a better education in career skills (ideally), the Ontario government has made some changes to the Grade 10 Careers Course.

Following a meeting with students of SHAD, Ontario’s Minister of Education announced that the revised Grade 10 Career Studies Course is now available online and will be in schools starting September of this year. 

The central focus of the course is now on ‘the jobs of the future.’

The Career Studies course is mandatory for Ontario students to receive a Secondary School Diploma.

The course now includes learning financial literacy and puts more focus on career pathways, including apprenticeships in the skilled trades.

Other major focuses include:

  • Financial management and budgeting (including paying bills, using credit responsibly, and education expenses).
  • Careers in high-growth industries such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines.
  • Social media usage and its implications for a student.
  • Cross-curricular transferable skills such as creativity, collaboration, and technological fluency.

“Our mission is to ensure that our young people are better prepared to transition from the journey of learning seamlessly into the workforce,” said Stephen Lecce, the Minister of Education. “With an emphasis on STEM, financial literacy, and transferable skills, we are better aligning our curriculum with the labour market, to ensure our young people can optimize their skills and get access to good-paying jobs.”

The Ministry of Education also plans on integrating the transferable skills found in the Career Studies course across all curriculums going forward. The hope is the skills will make it easier for teachers to mentor and track student progression.

“The old system did not sufficiently support our young people, nor inspire them to consider the jobs of tomorrow,” said Lecce. “This transformation will help inspire our students to think big, to aspire for better jobs, and to support the creation of a credible career pathway so they can succeed in a competitive global marketplace.”

Ontario is investing $2.25 million to support school boards with all revised curriculum, including this course.

For more information on the new course, you can read the Career Studies parent fact sheet here.

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