Ontario to make technological training credit score obligatory in highschool, beginning in 2024

In one other bid to spice up the variety of folks coming into expert trades, the province is planning to make technological training obligatory for highschool college students.

College students coming into Grade 9 in September 2024 would be the first to expertise the requirement. They might want to earn both a Grade 9 or Grade 10 credit score in technological training so as to get their diploma.

Throughout an announcement Friday, Training Minister Stephen Lecce claimed there could be a number of methods to fill that credit score, starting from development know-how to robotics to adolescent well being care.

“We’re giving all kinds after all choices in [Grade] 9 or 10,” he stated. “We’re doing that in order that we’re not crowding out the electives and the conditions in Grade 11 and 12 which can be required for college students to pursue larger studying.”

Lecce was requested about considerations about kids dropping one in all their electives.

“There’s nonetheless one artwork credit score required,” he argued. “There’s nonetheless one bodily training [credit] required. This doesn’t crowd out these alternatives and, frankly, these pathways if younger folks need to pursue them for careers.”

Lecce famous the province would want to rent extra academics with know-how credentials.

Officers have expressed a hope to draw extra expert tradespeople to Ontario, and significantly extra younger girls.

“Whereas nearly 39 per cent of Ontario secondary college college students had been enrolled in a Technological Training course in 2020-21, almost 63 per cent had been male college students,” stated officers Friday. “With this commencement requirement, extra younger girls could have a possibility to discover the trades. This new requirement means a scholar could also be launched to programming studying in Grade 9, discover the apprenticeship pathway additional and will in the end determine to develop into an Aerospace Manufacturing Technician.”