Tech courses to be compulsory in Ontario High Schools

The Ontario government has added a grade 9 or 10 technical course as a new high school graduation requirement. Starting with students entering Grade 9 in September 2024, all students will now be required to earn a Grade 9 or 10 Technological Education credit as part of their Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

Said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “By requiring students to take at least one Technological Education credit in high school, we are opening up doors and creating new pathways to good jobs in STEM and the skilled trades. All students will benefit from a greater emphasis on hands-on learning experiences and technical skills in the classroom so they can graduate with a competitive advantage in this country.”

This new learning graduation requirement will expose Ontario’s students to at least one Technological Education course. With more than 100,000 unfilled skilled trades jobs right now, the province is hoping to attract more young people to pursue a career in the trades.

The courses will include a broad range of sectors, including construction, transportation, manufacturing, computer technology, hospitality and communication. In Ontario, men make up more than 70 per cent of workers in trades-related occupations. The exposure to these career pathways as a mandatory graduation curriculum requirement will ensure more young women make the choice to pursue a career in the trades.

While almost 39 per cent of Ontario secondary school students were enrolled in a Technological Education course in 2020-21, nearly 63 per cent were male students. With this graduation requirement, more young women will have an opportunity to explore the trades. This new requirement means a student may be introduced to programming learning in Grade 9, explore the apprenticeship pathway further and may ultimately decide to become an Aerospace Manufacturing Technician.

The government is beginning consultations with employers, unions, education stakeholders, trainers, parents, students and others to explore academic entry requirements for the skilled trades.

It’s projected that, by 2026, approximately one in five job openings in Ontario will be in skilled trades-related fields.

By graduation, 73 per cent of secondary school students earn at least one credit in Technological Education.