Join us for two days of exceptional professional development, spectacular keynotes and active networking. Over 35 workshop options and up to 65 partner organizations in attendance. Celebrate 60 years of Guidance and Career education in Ontario!

Subscription renewals are now open to 2024-2025! Why wait until September when school starts up and things become very busy? Included with a one year subscription is the weekly OSCA News: stay up to date with all things guidance and career education, OSCA Today: the professional magazine of the association delivered online and hard copy, a free copy of ethical guidelines, many online resources on the OSCA website, a fall conference celebrating 60 years of Guidance and Career Education in Ontario and a monthly webinar series. This year over 1,000 registrations participated, in 11 webinars.

Subscriptions may be renewed by going to the OSCA website- subscribe now section. Before you renew your subscription, please check with your Board of Education to see if they have purchased or plan to purchase bulk subscriptions with OSCA for 2024-2025. If so, you will need to obtain the payment by pass code to be used and applied at the time of renewing a subscription.

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 Morgan D. Parmenter Memorial Award | Le prix commémoratif Morgan D. Parmenter

This award is presented to recognize a person who has made a most significant contribution to Guidance and Career Education in Ontario.
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décerné pour reconnaître la personne qui a apporté une contribution significative à l’orientation et la formation en cheminement de carrière en Ontario.

If you’re transitioning from high school to college, you may find there are some big differences that can catch you off guard. That’s why we’ve pulled together a list of these differences, along with some tips to help you get ahead and succeed in your new environment. Below, we’ll discuss the in-class differences between high school and college.



First things first: There’s no magic formula for success at college. While we hope you consider the tips we’ve outlined here, every learner is different, so you’ll need to determine the strategies that work best for you.

Submit your nomination/application for the Ontario Horticultural Trades Foundation's 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.

Depuis près de 50 ans, Katimavik a été un pilier dans le soutien et le développement de la jeunesse canadienne. Notre marque est restée fidèle à elle-même pendant toutes ces années, symbolisant les valeurs et l'engagement qui nous définissent. Mais aujourd'hui, nous sommes fiers de vous annoncer que Katimavik évolue...
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For nearly 50 years, Katimavik has been a pillar in the support and development of Canadian youth. Our brand has remained true to itself throughout the years, symbolizing the values and commitment that define us. But today, we're proud to announce that Katimavik is evolving...

While strides have been made toward inclusion and away from transphobia, transgender people still face discrimination in the workplace. In an article published in 2016, Human Resources Director Canada reported that almost a third of 433 transgender people surveyed thought they were turned down for a job because of their gender, while 18% were certain of it.

Even the act of navigating a job search can be a source of stress. The following resources serve to help transgender people – and those who support them – approach their job search comfortably and confidently. These resources provide tips on addressing common worries, feeling more prepared and knowing your rights.

Did you know that in 2022, 27% of Canadians aged 15 and older had at least one disability? That amounts to eight million Canadians and it represents an increase of 4.7%, or 1.8 million more people, since 2017.

These were the findings of Statistics Canada’s 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD). Another thing the 2022 CSD showed, that you may not know about: 20% of Canadian youth aged 15–24 have a disability. The increase of disability among youth was higher (7%) compared to the general population (4.7%) since the 2017 CSD. Here’s something else to think about: youth who have a disability have significantly lower rates of employment than those without disabilities.

Career conversations with kids and teens often look different from what we expect. They rarely take place in a 15-minute career consult, but rather, come up during the drive to basketball practice or after a spontaneous comment on someone’s job choice. Career conversations, just like other conversations, are very rarely neat and tidy; they ebb and flow as running discussions over multiple interactions.

The "good stuff" often happens in this messy, dynamic space, which is one of the reasons why I value opportunistic career conversations almost as highly as formal ones.

I’ll start by explaining why I feel that some of the most important conversations we have may not be serious at all, and then give a couple of examples of "alternative" career conversation prompts that can be fun and effective.

TORONTO — The Ontario government is modernizing the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) requirements for the first time in 25 years, and launching consultations with parents, job creators, educators and stakeholders on what skills students need to be better prepared for life beyond the classroom through the reintroduction of modernized home economics education.

The province is introducing a suite of reforms to ensure Ontario’s diploma embraces the back-to-basics agenda, including:

- A new financial literacy graduation requirement to ensure students exit Ontario’s school system with both literacy and practical financial literacy skills.
- Consulting on important life skills and the return of home economics education.
- Ensuring new teachers hold basic competency in math. Teacher applicants to the Ontario College of Teachers must pass the Math Proficiency Test beginning in February 2025.
- For the first time in 13 years, a wholesale revitalization of guidance and career education to support students’ understanding of local labour market needs and pathways to good careers.
- Up to $14 million in 2024-25 to launch career coaching for Grade 9 and 10 students and to explore new opportunities into STEM and skilled trades.
- Return of the student exit survey to benchmark success and garner feedback on the impact of reforms with an emphasis on guidance.

Summer Session: July 3-31, 2024

OSCA-ACOSO is pleased to announce that they will continue to offer Part 1, Part 2 and the Specialist in Guidance and Career Education Additional Qualifications courses this summer. Additional sessions will take place in the fall and winter. Advantages of taking the course with OSCA are the instructor is a current guidance teacher-counsellor, a one year OSCA subscription is included ($55 value if currently not active) and a downloaded copy of Ethical Guidelines ($25) is included. As part of the OSCA subscription, participants have the opportunity to attend the fall conference at a member rate, gain access to webinars throughout the year on topics related to guidance and career education, receive the weekly OSCA News to keep up to date with guidance/career topics, and receive the tri-annual OSCA Today, the professional magazine of the association.

Cost: $675 plus HST.

To register: www.osca.ca --> Next AQ course

Registration closes Wednesday, June 19 at 11:55 pm. This is a FIRM deadline.  

Registration, payment and teaching experience forms (Part 2 and Specialist) are all due no later than Wednesday, June 19.  

Please register early to reserve your seat!

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!