Login
STAFF PORTAL

McKinnon Park

Secondary School
Parent Portal button

Experiential Education

Please choose from one of the below tabs: Co-op, Dual Credit, OYAP & SHSM.

Co-op

Experiential learning provides our high school students with a number of beneficial opportunities.

Click the link below for the Co-op Information Flyer:

Job Shadowing allows a student to spend time observing a worker in a specific occupation (i.e. Take Your Kid To Work Day)

Job Twinning allows a student to observe a co-operative education student in his or her placement.

Co-operative Education (Co-op) courses combine classroom learning with planned work experience within the local community.

Benefits of Job Shadowing, Job Twinning and Co-op

  • Be enrolled in high school while observing the world of work
  • Observe and develop workplace essential skills for apprenticeship and employment
  • Obtain a broader range of career information through observation
  • Observe and be instructed in health and safety procedures in the workplace
  • Experience the world of work
  • Learn more about themselves and work in a specific occupation
  • Make an informed choice of secondary courses toward a future career

To access Montie Safety Care, click here.

For further information, please access The Ontario Ministry of Education CO-OP Site, click here.



SWAC/Dual Credit

School College Work Initiative (SCWI)

The goal of the program is to increase opportunities for student success, secondary and post-secondary structure:

  • Cooperative effort of the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) and the Committee of College Presidents (COP)
  • Jointly funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
  • Co-management team including: college presidents, school board directors, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Training and Colleges and Universities personnel
  • All district school boards and all colleges through 16 Regional Planning Teams

View the latest updates, course codes and applications below for more information and to experience one of these exciting programs:

Strategies:

  • Dual Credit projects
  • Forums
  • Outreach experiences

The Grand River Region School Within a College (SWAC)

  • A partnership among Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, Grand Erie District School Board, Conestoga College, Brantford, Fanshawe College, Simcoe and Mohawk College, Ohsweken
  • Attend full days in a college setting
  • Engage in a dual credit or apprenticeship based on your pathway choice.
  • Students participate in a class together, taking the entire program as a group with one secondary teacher as your primary contact

Dual Credits

  • Taught by college professors and Secondary teachers.
  • The college staff takes the lead and the secondary teacher supports the program in a wide variety of ways including Student Success.

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

  • OYAP Informational Flyer

OYAP enables full-time students who are 16 years of age or older with at least 16 credits to meet diploma requirements while participating in an occupation that requires on-the-job training.

The OYAP program is designed to increase the number of secondary students interested in exploring the trades and prepares them to successfully pursue careers in the trades. Students in Grades 11 or 12 can gain training, through a cooperative education program, in an apprenticeship trade of interest.

To be eligible for OYAP, students must:

  • be enrolled full-time in secondary school
  • be working towards an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
  • be enrolled in a cooperative education program with a placement in an apprenticeship trade
  • have successfully completed 16 credits
  • be at least 16 years of age

Additional Resources:

Benefits of OYAP

Gain a head start towards a chosen career.

  • Ease the transition from school to work
  • Increase opportunities for post-secondary training and employment
  • Earn work experience hours in addition to secondary school credits
  • Develop general and specialized job skills
  • Understand employer expectations

Why Apply?

Applying for the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program could be the first step in beginning a rewarding career in the skilled trades.

  • OYAP is both a demanding and smart choice if you wish to jump-start your career. Jobs in the skilled trades pay well and challenge your intellect and creativity.
  • Apprenticeships are often the first step in a career path that can lead to supervisory, administrative or management positions, or to a self-employed business career.
  • Students who participate in OYAP will be trained in a specific set of skills leading to a registered apprenticeship program and will be able to obtain apprenticeship hours and high school credits at the same time.

Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM)

Grand Erie District School Board, in conjunction with Ontario Ministry of Education, offers Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) to students in secondary schools.

High school students enrolled in a Specialist High Skills Major are required to complete a bundle of classroom courses, workplace experiences and sector certifications to receive a special designation, also known as the red seal, on their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Currently, 13 Grand Erie high schools offer 35 Specialist High Skills Major Programs in 10 different economic sectors:

The SHSMs can prepare students for either apprenticeships, college, university or the workforce. Speak with your Principal to learn more about the program offered at your school or another school of choice.

Below are a few Specialist High Skills Majors that McKinnon Park has to offer.

With a Construction Specialist High Skills Major, students focus on a career path to match their skills and interests in this sector. By making courses more relevant to students, kids get a better understanding of the Construction sector because they learn it in a real world environment. Students learn on the job with employers through Co-op and Experiential Learning opportunities, as well as in school. At graduation they receive a specially designated diploma.

A Construction SHSM may be for you if you are interested in any of the following careers:

Apprenticeship Training

  • Brick and Stone Mason
  • Carpenter
  • Construction Millwright
  • Electrician
  • Heating and Air Conditioning Contractor
  • Painter and Decorator
  • Plumber
  • Roofer

College

  • Architectural Design Technician/Technologist
  • Civil Engineering Technologist
  • Construction Estimator
  • Construction Manager
  • Construction Technologist
  • Contractor and Supervisor, Electrical Trades and Telecommunications
  • Home Inspector
  • Interior Designer
  • Residential Home Builder or Renovator

University

  • Architect
  • Electrical Engineer
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Structural Engineer

Workplace

  • Carpenter Helper
  • Concrete Finisher
  • Construction Trades Helper and Labourer
  • Demolition Worker
  • Drywall Installer
  • Helper - Construction Trades
  • Home Renovator

A Construction SHSM will provide students with an assortment of the following TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS specific to the Construction sector:

  • Standard First Aid
  • Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation CPR - Level A
  • WHMIS
  • Health and Safety - Basic
  • Fall Protection
  • Chainsaw Safety
  • Confined Space Awareness
  • Elevating Work Platforms
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Electrical Safety
  • Lift Truck Safety
  • Hoisting and Rigging
  • Powder-Actuated Tools
  • Propane in Construction
  • Scaffold Safety
  • Suspended Access Equipment
  • Traffic Control
  • Trenching Safety
  • Insulated Concrete Forming
  • Personal Protective Equipment in Construction


A Horticulture and Landscaping SHSM may be for you if you are interested in any of the following careers:

Apprenticeship Training

  • Arborist
  • Horticulture Technician
  • Small Engine Technician

College

  • Golf Course Technician
  • Landscape Technologist
  • Parks Operations Manager
  • Tree Service Technician
  • Urban Forestry and Park Technician

University

  • Biologist
  • Botanist
  • Horticulturalist
  • Landscape Architect
  • Plant Pathologist

Workplace

  • Gardener
  • Greenhouse Worker
  • Grower
  • Landscape Labourer
  • Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance Contractors
  • Lawn and Garden Retail Salesperson
  • Plant Propagator

A Horticulture and Landscaping SHSM will provide students with an assortment of the following TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS specific to the Horticulture and Landscaping sector:

  • Standard First Aid
  • Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation CPR - Level A
  • WHMIS
  • Plant Identification
  • Edging and Trimming
  • Grading and Drainage
  • Phone Etiquette
  • Tree Planting
  • Pruning
  • Paver Installation
  • Customer Services
  • Grading and Sodding
  • Plant Layout
  • Cash Handling
  • Lawn Mower Use and Safety
  • Work Orders

With a Hospitality and Tourism Specialist High Skills Major, students focus on a career path to match their skills and interests in this sector. By making courses more relevant to students, kids get a better understanding of the Hospitality and Tourism sector because they learn it in a real world environment. Students learn on the job with employers through Co-op and Experiential Learning opportunities, as well as in school. At graduation they receive a specially designated diploma.


A Hospitality and Tourism SHSM may be for you if you are interested in any of the following careers:

Apprenticeship Training

  • Baker
  • Butcher and Meat Cuter
  • Chef
  • Cook
  • Special Events Coordinator

College

  • Accommodation Service Manager
  • Conference and Event Planner
  • Food Service Supervisor
  • Hotel/Resort Manager
  • Restaurant and Food Service Manager
  • Tourism Information Officer
  • Travel Counsellor

University

  • Dietician
  • Food Bacteriologist
  • Nutritionist
  • Public and Environmental Health Officer
  • Public Relations and Communications

Workplace

  • Executive Housekeeper
  • Food and Beverage Server
  • Food Counter Attendant and Kitchener Helper
  • Food Stylist
  • Hotel/Front Desk Clerk
  • Hotel Valet
  • Purser and Flight Attendant
  • Receptionist and Front Desk Clerk
  • Reservation Agent
  • Sales Representative - Wine, Food, Wholesale
  • Ticket Agent
  • Tour and Travel Guide
  • Tourist Information Clerk

A Hospitality and Tourism SHSM will provide students with an assortment of the following TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS specific to the Hospitality and Tourism sector:

  • Standard First Aid
  • Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation CPR - Level A
  • Customer Service
  • WHMIS
  • Cook/Line Cook
  • Events Coordinator
  • Fishing Guide
  • Geographic Information System (GIS)
  • Global Positioning System (GPS)
  • Guest Services
  • Heritage Interpreter
  • Housekeeping Services
  • Life Saving
  • Paddling Techniques
  • Safe food Handling - Advance
  • Safe Food Handling - Basic
  • Smart Serve
  • Spa Service
  • Spa Etiquette
  • Ticket Agent
  • Tourism - Basic
  • Tour Guide

Click Here to see video Clip