Page 26 - Business Studies 9-10 (2006)

SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN BUSINESS STUDIES 25
essential skills are transferable, in that they are used in virtually all occupations.The OSP also includes descriptions of important work habits, such as working safely, being reliable, and pro- viding excellent customer service.The OSP is designed to help employers assess and record students’ demonstration of these skills and work habits during their cooperative-education placements. Students can use the OSP to identify the skills and work habits they already have, plan further skill development, and show employers what they can do.
The skills described in the OSP are the essential skills that the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated, through extensive research, as the skills needed for work, learning, and life. Essential skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change. For further information on the OSP and essential skills, visit: http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca.
Career Education
Most careers involve some aspect of business practice – physicians and mechanics operate small businesses, artists sell their art. Courses in business studies prepare students for employment in such diverse areas as retailing, management, technology, small business, government service, and professional careers.The skills and knowledge that students acquire through business studies courses are essential for a wide range of careers. Students gain an understanding of various aspects of business operation and practice through courses in all the subjects in the discipline. In addition, the focus on personal management, interpersonal skills, and career development in the business studies curriculum will help prepare students for success in their working lives, whatever their career. Finally, learning about different kinds of businesses will enable students who are interested in a career in business to think about the type of operation that is best suited to their backgrounds and interests.
Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning
Cooperative education and other forms of experiential learning, such as job shadowing, field trips, and work experience, enable students to apply the skills they have developed in the class- room to real-life activities in the world of business and public service. Cooperative education and other workplace experiences also help to broaden students’ knowledge of employment opportunities in a wide range of fields, including small-business operations, management, marketing, accounting, and government service. In addition, students develop their under- standing of workplace practices, certifications, and the nature of employer–employee relation- ships.Teachers of business studies should maintain links with community-based businesses to ensure students have access to hands-on experiences that will reinforce the knowledge and skills they have gained in school.
All cooperative education and other workplace experiences will be provided in accordance with the ministry’s policy document entitled Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning: Policies and Procedures for Ontario Secondary Schools, 2000.
Planning Program Pathways and Programs Leading to a Specialist High-Skills Major
Business studies courses are well suited for inclusion in programs leading to a Specialist High- Skills Major (SHSM) or in programs designed to provide pathways to particular apprenticeship or workplace destinations. In an SHSM program, business studies courses can be bundled with