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[upbeat music starts]
[music ends]
[smooth rock music starts]
[girl 1] My favourite part about this program
was just meeting the people, the experiences.
[boy] Uh, just being in that environment,
I found it very, uh, inspirational and also encouraging.
[girl 2] I signed up for it because I like challenging myself
and exploring new ideas.
[girl 3] I get to see what I've always wanted to do
and how it works.
[man 1] The Specialist High Skills Program
here at the Peel District School Board
offers tremendous opportunities for students to be engaged
in hands-on learning activities in a variety of sectors.
[man 2] The program itself is designed to allow kids to customize
their high school experience based on their interest.
[man 1] They will have extended opportunities
to do reach-ahead activities, job shadowing,
strategic placements for co-op, and the like,
where these kids will be exposed
to that specific field that they're looking for
that the high skills is attached to.
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[man 1] From the beginning through the end of this program,
when they come out the other side, quantum leaps in learning.
[girl] As opposed to doing extra work,
it's just, uh, different. It's more interesting.
[another girl] I was around people who share the same interests as me,
and as well as people who were already
following their dreams along that career path,
and I found that to be really inspirational.
[boy] Uh, after joining the SHSM program,
I found that I can focus my skills and focus my learning
on a specific aspect that I really enjoyed.
[another girl] I'm not very good at math or science,
but through this program, I've been able
to get better at it and to really apply it,
which helped me learn it in the classroom better.
[another boy] The SHSM program, um, has allowed my compulsory courses
to gear towards my interests, what I really like to do.
[another girl] This is a program where you actually get to be
in that environment, be in that workplace
that you actually want to be in the future.
[another boy] It's taught me how
I would go about opening up a auto repair business,
which is actually something I'm very interested in doing.
[another girl] The specialist high skills major program
is very unique in the sense
that it gives you a chance to have specialized co-op placements
where your skills are really addressed.
[another boy] I get to learn a lot of things that I haven't learned.
Techniques, and, uh, t- how to use tools.
[another girl] So with the co-op placement,
you're really able to see if a career is right for you or not,
and you get to explore different pathways.
[girl 3] For my co-op, I'm the administrative assistant.
So I do a lot of things, I deal with the guests.
I got everything I've wished for, and I'm en- ecstatic about it.
[upbeat music starts]
[girl] Well, for the health and wellness SHSM,
it's great because we have a bundle of credits
that we can choose our courses from.
[boy] So if you wanna specialize in a certain program
after high school, such as kinesiology,
you have certain courses that you wanna pick from this program,
and that'll get you prepared for your post-secondary education.
[another girl] The SHSM programs,
specifically for me, theatre, is tied into my business course
through a CLA, which my teacher gives me.
All the kids in the class have to draw up a business plan,
uh, but me, specifically,
I'm drawing up a business plan for a Canadian theatre company.
[girl 4] This program has given me certifications
that are industry-recognized. I can put it on my resume.
[girl 5] There are six certifications
that I've gained within the SHSM program.
This would be a WHMIS training...
[girl 1] First-aid and CPR training, also...
[boy] Customer service, young employee safety,
uh, chemical hazards...
[girl 4] And it just sets me apart from my other competitors.
[shouting in background] [boy] As part of my SHSM
health and wellness program, I did my experiential learning
at the hospital for sick children in Toronto.
I got to see how a hospital works first-hand,
and my experience let me decide
that I wanna go into the field of medicine someday.
[another girl] So my reach-ahead experience
was a three-day workshop at a post-secondary institution.
It was run by senior students, and during the three days,
we were taught aspects of the course
and how it would've been like if we actually took the course there.
[boy] In my sports SHSM program,
we used the Ontario skills passport to learn and track essential skills
we will require for jobs in the sports industry,
such as a coach, or a trainer, and jobs just related to the program.
[man 2] The skills the students are gonna develop in the program
really are the skills they're going to use in the real world.
[woman] They're better able to make some decisions
in terms of what they wanna do in the future.
[happy music starts] [boy] So with SHSM,
I was able to learn a lot about myself.
When I would a lot of projects, and if I am working with a group,
I do take more leadership role now.
[man 2] You can see a maturing process,
you can see a higher degree of self-confidence,
and a real, um, understanding
of what it's going to take to be successful.
[girl 2] If you're shy,
if you want to grow your leadership qualities,
if you have poor time management skills,
and you wanna learn how to refine your skills
and really get better at everything you do.
[girl 5] These are not only things that will help us in the future,
but they also help us right now.
[motivational music starts] [another girl] The SHSM program
and all of the extra opportunities that it offers
is really making school more enjoyable
because I come to school in the morning, and I'm excited.
[girl 2] If you wanna learn something new,
if you want to explore new avenues, if you want to challenge yourself,
you e- should sign up for this program because it is life-changing.
[music plays]
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