Happy Holidays from the OSCA-ACOSO Board of Directors!  All the best for 2023! | Joyeuses Fêtes de la part du conseil d’administration de l’ACOSO de l’ACOSO!  Tout le meilleur pour 2023!

Next session: January 16, 2023 to March 3, 2023

Registration: Now open!

• Taught virtually by a current Ontario Guidance Counsellor.
• Participants sign up for Part 1 or Part 2 or the Specialist.

For further information, please visit www.osca.ca and go to the AQ section at the top of the main webpage.

Cost: $650
No textbook

Includes a one year OSCA-ACOSO: AQ subscription, if one does not have an active subscription and one link for a copy of Ethical Guidelines.

With over 25 years of experience in federal and provincial governments, as well as the college, university, for-profit and NGO sectors in both Canada and the U.S, Richard D. Wiggers, B.A., M.A., PhD, is passionate about labour market trends, innovative pathways, and research related to student access and success. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted the workplace, global travel and supply chains, the labour and housing markets, and so much more. Some have predicted continued economic disruption and high unemployment, especially in certain sectors of the labour market, while others are predicting employment shortages and an overheated economy as a result of a prolonged period of pent-up demand. How does one plan for a future that is so full of change and uncertainty? As high school students begin to plan for their own futures as adults, what are some of the skill sets and career pathways that are most likely to be in demand? Don't miss this informative webinar that will explore these questions and more!

Meaghan Johnson, MSc RP, is excited to be invited back to present for OSCA! This workshop is NOT about work-life balance or how you should get enough sleep and eat more vegetables. You know that, and you are already likely doing your best in the midst of really challenging times. What this workshop IS about, is how to take care of your mind and heart while doing your best. Drawing on theories from neurobiology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) we will take an hour to explore easy and actionable ways to feel better in the midst of your life.

The first half of the workshop will look at how the nervous system and mind interact and introduce two exercises that will soothe your body in order to help the mind settle. The second half of the workshop looks at ways to let go of being in conflict with your own emotions and thoughts and make things more workable.

The interventions presented in this workshop are those that have proven to be the most universally helpful in Meaghan’s psychotherapy practice. These are also the techniques she uses herself on a daily basis to stay present and engaged in these turbulent times. Don't miss this opportunity to start the new year off with a focus on YOU and your well-being!

The Ontario School Counsellors Association provides leadership and support in Guidance and Career Education for educators, students, and parents across Ontario. We partner with key stakeholders such as colleges, universities, other community organizations, and the Ministry of Education to provide up-to-date information about programs and opportunities that will assist students with decision-making regarding post-secondary education.

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Toronto Congress Centre
650 Dixon Road, Toronto
January 10-12, 2023

If you are interested in a green landscape horticulture career, then you won’t want to miss this chance to:
Network with industry professionals.
Find out if Apprenticeship is right for you.
Learn about the amazing GROW Training program.
Search the job boards for career opportunities.
Discover the Landscape.Jobs online job portal.
Explore and connect with over 400 exhibitors.
Explore professional development opportunities.
Catch free live stage demos.

Learn More!

Register Now!

TORONTO — The Ontario government is updating high school courses in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), including learning related to the skilled trades to ensure students have the cutting-edge digital literacy and modern technological skills to lead the global economic, scientific and societal innovations of tomorrow.

These changes to the Computer Studies and the Technological Education curriculum also support the government’s plan to align curriculum changes with the province’s economic needs and place an emphasis on critical life and job skills, needed in the fast-growing skilled trade

Apprenticeships provide alternative education pathways for a significant proportion of the Canadian population. Through interviews with Ontario-based former apprentices who left to attend college or university (not connected to their apprenticeship program), as well as former college or university students who left their postsecondary institution to pursue apprenticeships, this project advances our understanding of former apprenticeship/undergraduate students’ educational pathways and transfer pathways.

Highlights
- According to university and college administrators, students transfer from university or college into apprenticeships because of perceived employment prospects and interest alignment; similarly, they said that students transfer from apprenticeships into colleges/universities because of perceived employment prospects: "With a changing economy, a diverse academic background might help students feel more protected" (Malette & Robson, 2022, 22).
- Although administrators interviewed for this research said they commonly saw students switching programs for greater economic stability, the students in this study explained that they transferred programs based on interest alignments.
- Students reported that lack of knowledge about a program or industry was challenging for their transition: "Steve suggested that if institutions had liaisons for each program, with industry knowledge, this would help facilitate the transfer process more effectively" (Ibid., 36).

The Minister of Education announced revisions to the Ontario secondary school curriculum in Computer Studies for September 2023 and Technological Education for September 2024. This builds on our work to strengthen STEM education across the province and modernize the curriculum to better engage students in their learning and to prepare them for the future.

These curriculum changes build upon other actions taken by the government to bolster its Skilled Trades Strategy that will help attract more students into the trades including investing $4.8 million over two years to expand the Dual Credits program.
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Le ministre de l’Éducation a annoncé les révisions au curriculum du palier secondaire de l’Ontario qui seront apportées au programme-cadre d’études informatiques, en septembre 2023, et au programme-cadre d’éducation technologique, en septembre 2024. Ces révisions s’inscrivent dans le cadre de nos efforts de renforcement de l’apprentissage des STIM à l’échelle de la province et de modernisation du curriculum, qui visent à mieux faire participer les élèves à leur apprentissage et à les préparer à leur avenir.

Ces révisions au curriculum s’ajoutent à d’autres mesures prises par le gouvernement pour renforcer la Stratégie ontarienne relative aux métiers spécialisés qui vise à attirer davantage d’élèves dans le secteur des métiers spécialisés et qui est dotée d’un financement de 4,8 millions de dollars sur deux ans en vue d’élargir les programmes à double reconnaissance de crédit.

The first phase of a CERIC-funded research project has now produced three literature reviews that examine what is happening in elementary education across Canada related to introducing and building career-related foundational skills. These newly available documents include: a review of scholarly literature; a curriculum and policy review; and a review of business and industry partnerships.

The project, Career Development in Children: Identifying Critical Success Conditions and Strategies, is being undertaken by an international team of academic researchers led by Dr. Lorraine Godden of Ironwood Consulting and Carleton University. The research seeks to understand how foundational concepts and skills that are introduced and developed by teachers in Grades 4 to 6 connect to career-related learning in Canadian classrooms.

Conference resources are now posted on the OSCA website. Please sign into the lounge to review the resources.