Career and Technology Studies

The Career and Technology Studies (CTS) program for secondary students is designed to develop skills students can apply in their daily lives when preparing for entry into the workplace or pursuing further learning opportunities. Students in Career and Technology Studies develop competencies—the knowledge, skills and attitudes—necessary for success in the workforce, but these competencies are also transferable to other aspects of the students' lives. A career encompasses more than activities related to a person's job or occupation; it involves one's personal life in both local and global contexts as a family member, a friend, a community volunteer, a citizen of the world.

The cluster–pathway model for CTS provides opportunity for focused teaching and learning and guided career exploration.

A cluster is a group of pathways and courses related to the nine categories of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). Clusters connect learning outcomes specific to the knowledge, skills and attributes for occupational groupings.

The five clusters of CTS are:

• Business, Administration, Finance and Information Technology – BIT
• Health, Recreation & Human Services – HRH
• Media, Design & Communication Arts – MDC
• Natural Resources – NAT
• Trades, Manufacturing & Transportation – TMT

A pathway is a sequence of CTS courses that are connected to competencies specific to an occupational designation or a desired career path. There are two types of pathways.

Specialized skill pathways provide students with the knowledge, skills and attitude for employment or further education. These pathways can be customized to meet student, school or community program needs. An example would be a framer pathway in the TMT cluster. Select courses could be put together to prepare a student for the job site.

Credentialed pathways provide students with post-secondary and/or business and industry credentials or articulation. For students to obtain the desired credential or articulation, all specified course outcomes must be met. An example would be the Carpenter Apprenticeship pathway that would qualify a student to complete first period apprenticeship training.

While the school is moving towards credentialed pathways in CTS, we will currently only offer specialized skill pathways.

Implementation of the Trades, Manufacturing & Transportation (TMT); and Business, Administration, Finance & Information Technology (BIT) clusters was implemented in September 2009.

Implementation of the Natural Resources (NAT); Media, Design & Communication Arts (MDC); and Health, Recreation & Human Services (HRH) clusters is scheduled for September 2010.