Celebrate OSCA’s 60th Anniversary by joining us at our two day Conference November 3 and 4, 2024. We are preparing our guidance teacher-counsellors, teachers and youth for the future age of skilled trades, digital learning/jobs, and artificial intelligence with focused workshops and keynotes. A gala banquet and awards ceremony with entertainment is sure to be a hit! Visit our website for more information and to register for these limited spots!

Now is the time to nominate a deserving colleague for an OSCA award. Perhaps it is that person who has created a great resource that has allowed students to create their own pathway? Maybe you know a guidance counsellor who is the go-to person at your school? Perhaps a deserving community partner that provides excellent support for your school?

You have until September 26, 2024 at 4:00 PM to nominate someone, but why not do it now?
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Chacun et chacune de nous connaît un collègue innovateur, qui accomplit avec enthousiasme son travail auprès des élèves de son école. Pourquoi ne pas reconnaître leur contribution à notre profession en posant leur candidature à l'un des prix de l'ACOSO? Pour poser la candidature de quelqu'un, appuyez sur le lien de la mise en candidature. Toutes les mises en candidature doivent être soumises en ligne d'ici le 26 septembre 2024 à 4h.

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The Olive Diefenbaker Award of Merit | Le prix du mérite Olive Diefenbaker

***Open Year Round - recognizes retiring individuals who have made a contribution to the Counselling and Guidance Profession in Ontario.
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***Ouvert toute l’année - reconnaît les personnes qui partent à la retraite et qui ont contribué à la profession de conseillers en orientation en Ontario.

The Student Awards Nominations are here! Please nominate a deserving student today within the five Post Graduate Pathways:

• Apprenticeship,
• College,
• Community Living,
• University,
• Workplace. 

Details can be found on the nomination form. 

The link is live on the OSCA website and you can access the nomination form through it. The nominations will close on May 6, 2024, so nominate a student today!
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Les candidatures aux prix étudiants sont maintenant ouvertes ! Veuillez nommer dès aujourd'hui un élève méritant qui entreprend l'un des cinq parcours postsecondaires suivants :

• Apprentissage,
• Collège,
• Intégration communautaire,
• Université,
• Monde du travail. 

Vous pouvez trouver les détails dans le formulaire de candidature. 

Le lien est disponible à partir du site web de l'OSCA/ACOSO et vous pouvez accéder au formulaire de candidature via celui-ci. Les candidatures se clôtureront le 6 mai 2024, alors nommez un élève dès aujourd'hui !

Are you excited to pursue college athletics in the US and begin the recruiting process but unsure of your next steps? This is where NCSA College Recruiting is here to help!

Date: Tuesday, May 21

Time: 8:00 pm EST (7 PM CST)

The Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2024 Scholarship Awards.

Each year, the Foundation proudly supports the next generation of landscape and horticulture professionals with a wide range of scholarships available to Ontario post-secondary students and registered apprentices.

Ontario's universities are excited to host a collection of in-person and virtual events this spring and fall, where students can speak directly with university and student representatives.

These events are free and anyone may attend. Please make a note of the following events and dates and consider posting them on your school website.

Virtual Information Sessions

• May 22, 5-7 pm (ET)
• September 25, 5-7 pm (ET)
• November 21, 5-7 pm (ET)

Each virtual event gives students the opportunity to learn about the universities of their choice and ask questions.

New this spring: Ontario's universities will host an Information Sessions virtual event geared towards Grade 11 students looking to explore their university options ahead of Grade 12. Encourage your students to sign up for this event now.

Ontario Universities' Fair (OUF)

• October 5-6, 2024, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, daily — Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building

The OUF is one of the largest educational fairs in North America. This event allows students to gather information and chat one-on-one with representatives from Ontario's universities.

Note: There are no university presentations at OUF 2024. If students are looking for a similar experience, we encourage them to attend the virtual Information Sessions.

Ontario Universities' Regional Fairs

• Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario: September 16-20
• Ottawa and Eastern Regions: September 23-27
• Southwestern Ontario: October 7-11
• Central Eastern Ontario: October 15-18 

Individual event dates and locations are TBD.

Ontario's university representatives are coming to a city near you as they travel across the province for this year's Regional Fairs. These events are fair style and offer an opportunity to speak directly with university representatives.  

Visit our website to find out more about these events.
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Événements des universités de l'Ontario — Retenez les dates!

Les universités de l'Ontario sont très heureuses de présenter une collection d'événements virtuels et sur place, au printemps et à l'automne, où les élèves peuvent échanger directement avec des représentantes et représentants des universités et des étudiantes et étudiants. 

Ces événements sont gratuits et tout le monde peut s'y joindre. Veuillez prendre note de ces événements et de leurs dates. Vous pourriez également les afficher dans le site Web de votre établissement.

Séances d'information virtuelles

• 22 mai, de 17 h à 19 h (HE)
• 25 septembre, de 17 h à 19 h (HE)
• 21 novembre, de 17 h à 19 h (HE)

Chaque événement offre aux étudiantes et aux étudiants l'occasion d'apprendre davantage sur les universités qui les intéressent et poser des questions.

Nouveau ce printemps : Les universités de l'Ontario présenteront un événement virtuel des Séances d'information s'adressant aux élèves de 11e année qui souhaitent explorer leurs options d''études universitaires avant d'entamer leur 12e année. Prière d'encourager vos élèves à s'inscrire dès maintenant à cet événement.

Foire des universités de l'Ontario (FUO)

• 5-6 octobre 2024, de 9 h 30 à 17 h, tous les jours
  Palais des congrès du Toronto métropolitain, Édifice Sud

La FUO est l'une des plus grandes foires éducationnelles de l'Amérique du Nord. Cet événement vous permettez de recueillir des renseignements et discuter en personne avec des représentantes et représentants des universités de l'Ontario.

Nota : La FUO de 2024 ne comprend pas de présentations universitaires. Pour vivre une expérience comparable, nous encourageons aux élèves à prendre part aux Séances d''information virtuelles.

Foires régionales des universités de l'Ontario

• Nord-Est et Nord-Ouest de l'Ontario : 16-20 septembre 16 ? 20 septembre
• Régions d'Ottawa et de l'Est : 23 ? 27 septembre
• Sud-Ouest de l'Ontario : 7 ? 11 octobre
• Centre-Est de l'Ontario : 15 ? 18 octobre
   

Dates et lieux pour chaque événement à déterminer.

Les représentantes et représentants des universités de l''Ontario arrivent dans une ville près de chez vous lorsqu''elles et ils se déplacent à la grandeur de la province pour les Foires régionales. Ces événements ? de type « foire » ? vous fournissent l'occasion de parler directement avec des représentantes et représentants des universités.

Nota : Le Programme d'information sur les études postsecondaires pour Autochtones (PIEPA) prendra part à la FUO et aux Séances d'information virtuelles; il permet aux élèves de nouer des liens avec des recruteuses et recruteurs autochtones et découvrir les opportunités qui s''offrent à elles et à eux.

Prière de consulter notre site Web pour en savoir davantage au sujet de ces événements.

OSCA/ACOSO Webinar: From Exhausted to Energized-Strategies to Prioritize Your Well-Being to Avoid Burnout & Compassion Fatigue

Tuesday, May 28 at 1:00 PM

Have you ever considered the importance of care for the caregiver? The end of the school year is just around the corner and you have been going non-stop since September, to support your students and manage the complex role of Guidance Teacher-Counsellor. This webinar provided by Dr. Bisleen Attli and Tara Rawana, from All About Mental Empowerment will:

• offer education on the stages of burnout and the signs and symptoms of each stage;
• delve into why compassion fatigue is a unique factor leading to burnout in this helping profession;
• provide an opportunity for Guidance Teacher-Counsellors to explore effective strategies for managing stress, cultivating self-care habits, and creating a healthy work-life balance.

We hope you will consider joining us for our final webinar of the school year, designed specifically for you, with your well-being in mind! Register Here

FrancoQueer a le plaisir de vous inviter à la présentation des résultats d’une recherche ethnographique communautaire intitulée Favoriser le bien-être et l’intégration sociale de la communauté racisée francophone LGBTQIA/2S de Toronto et d’Ottawa réalisée par Carlo Handy Charles et Laurent Francis Ngoumou.

Les résultats de la recherche font état des barrières entravant la participation des personnes LGBTQIA/2S racisées immigrantes à leurs communautés d’accueil et pointent vers des recommandations concrètes qui pourraient favoriser leur bien-être et leur intégration sociale tout en soutenant leur autonomisation (empowerment).

La présentation aura lieu en lien le vendredi 17 mai de 11h à 12h30.

Merci de confirmer votre présence en remplissant ce formulaire d'inscription.

May 23, 2024 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

With nearly 42% of the Canadian workforce needing to reskill by 2026 to adapt to AI, the urgency to address these issues has never been more critical. This webinar aims to foster dialogue on how AI is reshaping work landscapes and what it means for skills development across industries.

A new Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario brief indicates that as public health measures relaxed, so too did some uncertainties and stressors facing students navigating post-secondary education. However, concerns remain about learning loss, students’ sense of academic preparedness, self-efficacy, satisfaction and well-being.

On April 9, at a special ceremony to award Jane Goodall with an honorary degree, the renowned primatologist and anthropologist shared stories from her life and career with attendees. She also shared why – despite the immense challenges the natural world faces at the expense of climate change – she has hope for the future.

"I still don’t really understand what’s happened to me," she told the York audience about a career that has led her to become one of the world’s most famous anthropologists and primatologists. Nonetheless, she made an attempt to help those in attendance understand how she became the world-renowned figure she is today from – what she considers – a simple beginning.

On August 2, 2023, the Ministry of Education sent a memo regarding the ending of the General Educational Development (GED)® test, which will no longer be available in Ontario as of May 2024, and that information on possible future opportunities would be provided in the future.

Ontario has been working with other jurisdictions across Canada for the past year to create the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) (www.caec-ccea.ca). This new credential will be available in English and French, and will provide a high quality, made-in-Canada education credential as a replacement for the GED.

The CAEC is for adults who do not have a high school diploma but need an education credential to open new doors to educational, training or employment opportunities. As with the GED, Ontario candidates who successfully obtain the CAEC will receive an Ontario High School Equivalency Certificate.

The cost of the full CAEC assessment to test-takers will continue to be $100. The CAEC will mirror the GED in that it is composed of five tests:
- writing
- reading
- mathematics
- social studies
- science

The CAEC will be administered in Ontario by TVO ILC. Registration will begin in Summer 2024. More information will be posted on the TVO website as it becomes available, including how to register for the CAEC.

It is a priority to ensure that adults in Ontario continue to have access to education opportunities which will help them advance their lives and reach their potential. We are pleased that the CAEC will allow them to do that.

Sincerely,

Stephen Lecce Kate Manson-Smith

Minister of Education Deputy Minister

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on many aspects of employment. ERS conducted a study to examine the impact of the pandemic on the soft skills of people seeking employment through workforce development agencies and non-profit organizations. Specifically, we assessed the changes in soft skills before, during and after the pandemic using the Employment Readiness Scale (ERS), an online self-assessment tool that measures soft skills, employability factors and challenges.

Using ERS data over a five-year span, we gained interesting insights into the long-term effects of the pandemic on employment-related skills.

Hon. David Piccini, Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, held a press conference at Landscape Ontario’s head office in Milton, Ont., on April 17 announcing an investment through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) toward three free training projects in Milton.

This fund will help more than 700 workers and job seekers prepare for in-demand and rewarding careers in the skilled trades.

Landscape Ontario is proud and honoured to be among these three projects and to receive funding for the GROW and Apprenticeship training programs to attract, recruit, and train new and young workers in the landscape and horticultural sector.

Since 2022, the GROW and Apprenticeship programs have prepared 298 people for rewarding careers in horticulture and landscaping.