Skills Ontario celebrates progress as a new provincial initiative will expose more youth, including more young women and girls, to careers in the skilled trades and technologies.
Starting September 2024, Ontario has announced all students entering high school will now be required to earn a Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit as part of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

The announcement is part of Ontarioโ€™s Plan to Catch Up, a provincial government initiative ensuring students gain access to learning opportunities to consider the skilled trades and technologies as future careers. It comes as Skills Ontario is preparing to welcome students and teachers to the 2023 Skills Ontario Competition in May at the Toronto Congress Centre to showcase their skills and knowledge in different trade professions.

Skills Ontario CEO, Ian Howcroft, attend the announcement made by the Ontario Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, on Friday.

Howcroft said Skills Ontario is pleased and fully supportive of todayโ€™s announcement requiring students to take Tech Education classes as part of the curriculum.

โ€œWe have long advocated that students need more exposure to and experiential opportunities with skilled trades and technology. This change will result in more students being introduced to skilled trades and technology, which will help to address our skills shortages and move more people to fulfilling and rewarding careers,โ€ said Howcroft.

โ€œThis is another example of Ontarioโ€™s leadership in developing and delivering skills solutions that will benefit the province, our economy, and our standard of living.โ€

SOURCE: enterprisecanada.com

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