A revamp of alternative education at College Heights Secondary School is approaching as the school's new programming is aiming to start for the 2025/2026 school year with programs cosmetology, horticulture and welding.
In December, the board decided there will be alternative education hubs but potential programming that could be offered at the hubs hadn’t been finalized at the time. The hubs are to be located at College Heights in Guelph, Norwell District Secondary School in North Wellington and a hub at Orangeville District Secondary School. The new alternative education programming is only for Grade 11, 12, and 12 plus as Grade 9 and 10 are being phased out of College Heights.
Now there is proposed programming for College Heights, as outlined in a report headed to the policy and priorities committee meeting for UGDSB on Tuesday. The programming is just for College Heights at this time and the board is working to expand alternative education programming in other locations but there there is no update for a timeline, said Heather Loney, UGDSB communications manager, in an email.
At College Heights in September, a specialist high skills major (SHSM) will be offered. The bundle of courses for each SHSM will have certifications. The major focuses on apprenticeships and pathways to college.
The specialized learning opportunities will be offered at College Heights for students at John F. Ross, Centennial, Guelph CVI, Erin District High School and Centre Wellington District High School. Reason being, College Heights has a greenhouse, commercial baking facility, autobody booth, and enhanced welding booths.
The SHSM sectors at College Heights each have priority certifications which “... offer students more opportunities than standard certifications offered at their home schools,” said in the report.
The SHSM sectors to potentially be offered at College Heights are; cosmetology/healthcare, welding/manufacturing, baking/hospitality, auto body/transportation, horticulture and construction.
Transportation will be provided to and from school at College Heights and students who are interested in some of the programming will be provided mid-day transportation to and from home schools John Fr. Ross and GCVI, said in the report.
In thinking about the changes to College Heights the board has introduced programs and supports so students with disabilities in other secondary schools are supported, said in the report. The programs are Empower Reading, Project SEARCH, cooperative education for students with developmental disabilities pilot and an online learning strategies summer course for students with disabilities to start July 2025.
The board has also created a new role called the post-secondary navigation specialist to help students with disabilities and their parents and guardians with their individual education plans so post-secondary institutions be prepared to have accommodations in place.
UGDSB is also putting an emphasis on students with disabilities to improve credit attainment with provincial funding to work with researchers who specialize in disability studies. The board is planning to pilot interventions aiming to help with credit attainment at three secondary schools and evaluate its impact.
Learning resource classes which already existed, now have been added to Centennial CVI and GCVI in Guelph and Westside Secondary School in Orangeville.
In the coming months the timeline for the transition of the new alternative learning at College Heights is set to include; programming options included in secondary school course calendars, College Heights campus tours for those in Grade 10 at other UGDSB secondary schools, a parent and guardian information session with a tour, visits by College Heights staff to talk about programming and answer questions, explore program offerings like robotics, and more.
The report provided a sample of what students could learn within the sectors:
Cosmetology/healthcare:
- Barbering
- Colour blocking
- Allergy awareness
- Shampoo
- Personality inventory
- Customer service
- Project management
- Afro and textured hair training
- Nails
- Ambulation, lifting and transfers
- IV insertion
- Anti-oppression and allyship training
- Concussion awareness
- Wrapping, taping for performance and injury
- Safe body mechanics
- Infection control (required)
Welding/manufacturing:
- Gas metal arc welding
- Shielded metal arc welding
- Gas tungsten arc welding
- Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing
- Fall protection
- Working at heights
- Safe lifting
- Confined space awareness
- Elevated work platforms
- Fire safety and fire extinguisher use
- Hoisting and rigging
- Lockout/tagging
- Propane safety
- Scaffold safety
- Transportation of dangerous goods
Baking/hospitality:
- Butchering
- Portioning and plating
- Cake decorating
- Cookie flooding
- Product packaging and display
- Food sensitivities and allergy awareness
- Specialty diets
- Infection control
- Basic safe food handling
- Cash handling and register training
- Cook/line cook
- Event coordination
- Food handler certification
- Smart Serve
Auto body/transportation:
- Air brakes
- Basic electrical safety for hybrid and electric vehicles
- Customer service
- Pleasure craft operator
- Working at heights
- Fire safety and fire extinguisher use
- Ozone-depletion prevention awareness
- Sector-specific vehicle operation and safety for forklift
- Vehicle lift safety
- Engines
- Spray booth
Horticulture:
- Plant layout
- Project management
- Sector-specific sustainability practices
- Seed safety
- Integrated pest management
- Greenhouse production
- Plant propagation
- Working at heights
- Customer service
- Pruning
- Sector-specific vehicle operation and safety for skid steer and mini-excavator
- Chainsaw use and safety
- Irrigation system controllers
- Soil classification and testing
- Tree planting
- Work orders
- Plant identification (required)
Construction:
- Hoisting and rigging
- Drywall
- Residential plumbing skills
- Insulated concrete forming
- Basic electrical safety and introduction to residential wiring
- Specialized skills training program and competition
- Energy efficiency training
- Chainsaw safety
- Confined space awareness
- Elevated work platforms
- Fall protection
- Land surveying basics
- Lockout and tagging
- Scaffold safety
- Sector-specific vehicle operation and safety for forklift
- Sector-specific vehicle operation and safety for skid steer and mini-excavator
- Working at College Heights (required)
In Grade 11 of the program there is a required SHSM skill builder course, common to all sectors, and students could learn things like CPR, standard first aid, workplace hazardous materials information system, health and safety.
Co-op and courses like math, science and English will be put in the SHSM bundles.
There are credit requirements prior to starting at College Heights like completion of Grade 9 and 10 math credits, English credits, one science credit, Grade 9 geography, Grade 10 history and a total completion of 12 credits.
