November 23, 2023

Students and staff at École secondaire catholique La Renaissance in Espanola celebrated on November 22 the official launch of the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program in Environment. Parents, community members and school partners were also in attendance for this event which highlighted the addition of this new program aimed at enriching this French-language Catholic secondary school’s curriculum.

The SHSM program in Environment will make it possible for students to personalize their high school experience and accumulate transferable skills and competences to facilitate their entry into the job market. The program provides a solid basis of sector-specific knowledge and contextualized skills related to the environment on which to build their training or apprenticeship experience, pursue their studies at the college or university level, exposing students to the realities of the work environment and ensuring that they are better prepared to make informed career decisions.

Grade 11 and 12 students registered in this new SHSM in Environment program will accumulate specialist credits on sector-specific knowledge and skills as well as cooperative education credits in the related field. Moreover, students that participate in the SHSM program obtain a minimum of seven experiential certifications that provide an advantage when they are ready to enter the workforce. The SHSM in Environment will be of interest to students considering a career in an environment-related sector such as forestry, energy, natural resources, and ecology. Given the existing range of courses related to this SHSM at ÉSC La Renaissance and its existing partnerships, the school already holds a solid expertise in the environment sector, which will support student development.

Ms. Jennifer Bernard, Vice-Principal at ÉSC La Renaissance, is confident that the program meets the needs of both students and Northern Ontario. “It is important to encourage students to pursue their passion and to build links with economic sectors where they can excel. Several important environment-related sectors can benefit from the expertise and passion of qualified professionals. We believe that our students, who stand out with their high level of bilingualism, their creativity and passion for the environment, will be better prepared to contribute actively to society by gaining access to this new program. With its proximity to waterways, forests, Manitoulin Island and the La Cloche mountains, the school intends to continue forging relationships with partners and interest students in pursuing their passion in the environmental sector".

This program will allow a greater number of ÉSC La Renaissance students to benefit from training that will facilitate their professional integration into this economic sector and contribute to the training of qualified francophone and bilingual experts who will share their passion in Northern Ontario and elsewhere in Ontario.

The Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon currently offers ten Specialist High Skills Major programs: Health and Wellness at ÉS du Sacré-Cœur (Sudbury), ÉSC l’Horizon (Val Caron), ÉSC Champlain (Chelmsford), and ÉS Notre-Dame-du-Sault (Sault Ste. Marie); Business at Collège Notre-Dame (Sudbury), Mining at ÉSC Horizon and ÉSC Champlain; Justice, Community Safety, and Emergency Services at ÉS du Sacré-Coeur; Sports at Collège Notre-Dame; and Environment at ÉSC La Renaissance. These programs provide students with opportunities to acquire knowledge and competences that are relevant to an economic activity sector in exciting apprenticeship environments that are in line with their career goals. They also help students concentrate on obtaining their diplomas and pursuing their goals at the post-secondary level.

The Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon offers a French-language Catholic Educational Program that is widely recognized for its excellence. The CSC Nouvelon provides a quality learning environment and academic program that runs from early childhood to adult education, with some 5,900 students enrolled in 27 elementary, 1 virtual school and 10 secondary schools.

Source:
Paul de la Riva
Director of Communications and External Relations
Conseil scolaire catholique Nouvelon
705-673-5626, ext. 294
705-677-8195 (cell)