Ontario updating computer and trades high school curriculum
Published December 12, 2022 at 4:04 pm
Updates to the computer, technology and trades high school curriculum are coming, the province just announced.
To keep up with the times and prepare students for jobs in computer science, technology and trades, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, announced updates to high school courses.
“We want to help produce the next generation of made in Ontario and made in Canada technology,” said Lecce at the press conference at Magellan Aerospace in Mississauga today (Dec. 12). “It’s how we ensure success for our children and our country’s long term prosperity. And that means students’ education must keep pace with the rapidly evolving workforce in Ontario’s growing economy.”
A new computer studies curriculum, beginning with a new Grade 10 course will be updated in September 2023.
Digital Technology and Innovations in the Changing World course will replace the current Grade 10 Introduction to Computer Studies course which was last updated in 2008.
The new course will reflect “significant technological innovations” such as advances in smartphones and wearable technologies, connected and automated vehicles, and the rise of social media.
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Students will apply coding concepts and skills to build hands-on projects and investigate artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and other emerging digital technologies that can support them in a wide range of fields and careers.
Also a new technological education curriculum will begin with revised Grade 9 and Grade 10 courses to be offered in September 2024.
The revised technological education curriculum, which has not been updated since 2009, will reflect the advancements in automation across sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, which has increased the need for a highly skilled workforce.
These revisions will help prepare students for careers in communications, the construction industry as electricians, plumbers, and the manufacturing sector.
The curriculum needs to be up-to-date so young people have the skills they need in the trades or a STEM related field, said Fedeli. Companies such as Magellan Aerospace in Mississauga will need that educated workforce.
“Ontario’s manufacturers are a key part of the global supply chain for virtually every passenger aircraft in the world,” he continued. “Our aerospace industry is one of the largest in Canada, providing $2.9 billion worth of exports annually to 186 countries, companies around the world are looking to Ontario for their future.”
The curriculum revisions are part of the next steps in Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up and ensures students have exposure and access to learning opportunities to consider STEM fields and skilled trades as a future career.
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