OSCA/ACOSO invites presenters to submit proposals for workshops to be considered for our 2025 Conference, LEADERSHIP STARTS HERE: Empowering Leaders, Inspiring Change.

We are seeking presenters who excel in their areas of expertise and can deliver captivating and educational presentations to inspire NEW and EXPERIENCED teachers who are involved with Guidance and Career Education and Student Success.

Summer Session: July 3 to July 31

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 Thursday, June 19 at 11:55 p.m. This is a FIRM deadline.  

Teaching experience forms (Part 2 and Specialist) are all due no later than Friday, June 27.

Please register early to reserve your seat!

SAVE THE DATE! New Webinar ? Tuesday, April 22 at 1:00 p.m.
Supporting Students in Pursuing the Skilled Trades

Now more than ever, attracting students to consider a career in the Skilled Trades and Technologies is vital to sustaining vital jobs that fuel our economy and provide indispensable services. This webinar, delivered by Emily McCormack, Program Facilitator from AppenticeSearch.com, will guide educators through the apprenticeship process, exploring various pathways into the skilled trades, strategies for finding employment, and the support available through ApprenticeSearch.com. Attendees will gain insight into programs and services, including a live website demonstration, ensuring they feel confident in referring graduating high school students to valuable apprenticeship opportunities. All those who register will receive the webinar recording and any resources shared by the presenter. Register Here!

 

Chers collègues,

L’ACOSO est à la recherche de professionnels en orientation scolaire de partout dans la province pour mettre en valeur les initiatives remarquables mises en œuvre dans leurs écoles. Notre conférence annuelle est la meilleure occasion pour les collègues de se réunir afin de partager leurs idées et leurs pratiques exemplaires, et ainsi faire progresser l’orientation scolaire en Ontario. Le thème de cette année est né de l’appel au leadership lancé aux professionnels de l’orientation afin de mieux préparer nos élèves au marché du travail et au paysage éducatif en constante évolution. Nous aimerions vous inviter personnellement, vous nos collègues, à envisager de soumettre une proposition d’atelier pour notre conférence, afin que nous puissions découvrir les projets inspirants que vous réalisez dans vos milieux scolaires. Veuillez cliquer ici pour soumettre une proposition d’atelier avant la date limite du 23 avril.

N’hésitez pas à communiquer avec nous si vous avez des questions. Nous espérons vous voir nombreux à la conférence en novembre!

The Trades Day for Guidance Teacher-Counsellors taking place on May 6 at the annual Skills Ontario Competition at the Toronto Congress Centre is quickly approaching!

Just a reminder to have your guidance counsellors register and that you may use the funding provided to all school boards for Experiential Professional Learning in the Skilled Trades for Guidance Counsellors to cover the cost of transportation, accommodation, and teacher coverage. 😊

Join and network with hundreds of guidance counsellors and career educators from across the province. Together you’ll experience a full day featuring an exciting keynote, an engaging workshop, and thoughtful panel discussions.

We look forward to seeing you!!

Ontario’s universities are excited to connect with students, educators and supporters at virtual and in-person events this year. Save the dates for these free events and help promote them to your students.

• Ontario Universities’ Information Sessions: May 22, 2025, from 5 to 7 pm (ET). This event is tailored to Grade 11 and younger students who are beginning their university research.
• Ontario Universities’ Fair (OUF): Toronto, September 27-28, 2025, 9:30 am to 5 pm daily. Join us at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, for one of the largest educational fairs in North America.
• Ontario Universities’ Regional Fairs: Ontario university representatives will travel across the province this fall offering fair-style events. Individual event dates and locations are to be announced.

Learn more at ouevents.ca. 

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Les universités de l’Ontario ont très hâte de rencontrer des élèves, leurs supportrices et supporteurs et des éducatrices et éducateurs lors de nos événements virtuels et sur place de cette année. Prenez note des dates de ces événements gratuits et aidez-nous à les promouvoir auprès de vos élèves. 

• Séances d’information des universités de l’Ontario : 22 mai 2025, de 17 h à 19 h (HE). Cet événement s’adresse aux élèves de 11e année et moins qui amorcent leurs recherches sur les universités.
• Foire des universités de l’Ontario (FUO) : Toronto, 27-28 septembre 2025, de 9 h 30 à 17 h, tous les jours. Soyez des nôtres dans l’édifice Sud du Palais des congrès du Toronto métropolitain, à l’occasion de l’une des plus grandes foires de l’éducation en Amérique du Nord.
• Foires régionales des universités de l’Ontario : Des représentantes et représentants des universités de l’Ontario parcourront la province cet automne et y proposeront des événements de type « foire ». Les dates et lieux des événements individuels seront annoncés plus tard. 

Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site ouevents.ca.

The Leaside Garden Society (LGS) is offering one $2,000 (CDN) scholarship to a full time post-secondary student planning to enrol in the second or subsequent year of a horticulture-related program at a recognized Canadian institution. Make sure to apply before the deadline on June 30.

Registration is now available for the spring 2025 Guidance Dialogues virtual event on April 24, 2025, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Join us to:

• Learn what''s new in the world of university recruitment and about the events and resources available to help your students.
• Receive important updates from the Ontario Universities'' Application Centre (OUAC).
• Connect with university representatives.

Following the main presentation, you may connect with individual universities by joining their breakout sessions.

Registration is required. This event is for guidance counsellors only. Please do not share the registration link with your students.

Please send all event inquiries to: onunirecruitment@gmail.com .
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L''inscription à la séance virtuelle des Dialogues du printemps 2025 ? laquelle est prévue le 24 avril 2025 de 9 h 30 à 11 h 30 ? est maintenant accessible.

Joignez-vous à nous pour :

• Découvrir les nouveautés du monde du recrutement des universités et en apprendre sur les événements et ressources disponibles à vos élèves.
• Recevoir des mises à jour importantes du Centre de demande d''admission aux universités de l''Ontario (« OUAC »).
• Nouer des liens avec des représentantes et représentants des universités.

Au terme de la présentation principale, vous pourrez joindre des séances en petits groupes d''universités individuelles et prendre ainsi contact avec elles. Vous aurez l'occasion de vous entretenir en français avec les représentantes et représentants des universités bilingues et francophones. Les universités anglophones n''offriront pas de séances en français.

L''inscription est obligatoire. Cet événement s''adresse uniquement aux conseillères et conseillers en orientation. Prière de ne pas partager le lien vers le site d''inscription avec vos élèves.

Nota : L'événement se tiendra principalement en anglais seulement.

Prière d''envoyer vos questions relativement à l''événement, à l''adresse : onunirecruitment@gmail.com.

Don’t worry if you missed the equal consideration date (ECD). There are still so many programs available for you to start this September.

There are many programs that remain open after ECD, as well as programs that start at different times of the year. Use our ‘Find a Program’ tool to see open programs and access information on when to apply. Dive into your interests and start something new this fall!

This year’s report takes a fresh approach, designed to meet the urgent resilience crisis our students are facing. We explore the science behind the challenges—and offer potential solutions to help get our kids back on track.

Many companies now don’t require candidates to submit cover letters. But should you still submit them? The author argues that cover letters are still important and uses research and his conversations with six career experts to support the argument. The article also provides a six-part template for crafting a compelling cover letter: start with a specific, enthusiastic opening statement; connect your skills and experiences to the job description; mention any relevant contacts or experiences with the company; add supporting details like published work or unique skills; address potential resume concerns; and end with your excitement about contributing to the company’s mission.

Date: May 6, 2025 / 6 mai 2025
Event Time: 3:30 - 4:30 PM EST / 15h30 - 16h30 heure de l'est
Contact CBoC Contact: Jennifer Fane (fane@conferenceboard.ca)

Differences in educational practices, student responsibilities, and accommodation processes between K-12 and post-secondary systems create challenges for neurodivergent students transitioning to higher education.
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Les différences dans les pratiques éducatives, les responsabilités des étudiants et les processus d'accommodement entre les systèmes K-12 et post-secondaires créent des défis pour les étudiants neurodivergents qui font la transition vers l'enseignement supérieur.

Economic theory and evidence tell us that the more educated a society is, the more productive its economy will be. Countries or regions with highly educated people will attract advanced industries, generate more savings and investment and create entirely new economic sectors.

That promise is not yet fulfilled in Canada. Despite having one of the world’s highest rates of postsecondary education and a steady rise in postsecondary attainment over the past quarter century, economic performance, including productivity, is lagging. Too many graduates have advanced degrees that don’t deliver an advanced economic return. Not enough employers can build teams with the right skill sets. Too often, students don’t know how their programs line up with the labour market. And our international students continue to struggle to gain productive work in a fast-changing economy.

Being a trans person in the job market is a hard sell. We’re too often told that "you’re not the right fit," or "you’re an unconventional hire" – coded language for "We aren’t sure about hiring someone who is trans."

Today, trans people in Canada are still disproportionately unemployed, underemployed or hiding who they are at work. Trans, non-binary and Two-Spirit people are denied employment opportunities at 3-5 times the rate of cisgender people, with 30% of trans women having been denied employment opportunities due to their gender within the past five years (Women & Gender Equality, 2023). We are five times more likely to live below the low-income cut-off – also known as the poverty line – than cisgender Canadians. These are issues that many of us continue to face each and every day in our careers.

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Forms are to be submitted no later than Friday, September 12, 2025 by 4:00 p.m.

The Ontario School Counsellors’ Association has a long standing tradition (over 40 years) of recognizing and awarding those who stand out in the field of Guidance and Career Education. OSCA recognizes individuals and/or organizations that have made a significant contribution to Guidance and Career Education in Ontario. We can say with confidence that our past award winners have helped thousands find their pathways to successful futures!

OSCA-ACOSO Anthony Di Lena Student Pathway Awards' mandate is to assist at-risk students in their journey towards success. An award is given to at-risk students who have demonstrated the exemplary ability to succeed in the face of adversity. $500.00 awards are presented to students who, in their postsecondary pursuits, are taking a pathway to apprenticeship, college, community living, university or work.

Nominated students must be graduating/or have graduated from an accredited public secondary, Catholic secondary, or inspected private secondary school, including First Nations, in the province of Ontario in the previous school year.

The deadline is Thursday, May 1, 2025 by 4:00 p.m.