DURHAM CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
New Dual Credit Plumbing Program Offers DCDSB Secondary Students Opportunity to Receive Durham College Credit

Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) students can now simultaneously earn a high school credit and a first-year plumbing college credit through a unique Dual Credit program.

Through a partnership between DCDSB and Durham College, students at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School in Ajax are able to enroll in a Construction Technology class where they will also be taught the Trade Fundamental Basic Plumbing course, which is part of Durham College's one-year Trade Fundamentals program. Dual Credit programs are team-taught by both a secondary school teacher and a college instructor. The secondary teacher delivers the curriculum from the high school course and the college instructor delivers the college curriculum.

The Dual Credit program is part of the Ministry of Education's Student Success strategy with the goal of increasing high school graduation rates while helping students transition seamlessly to post-secondary pathways. The Dual Credit program allows students who are enrolled in secondary school to take college courses or apprenticeship courses. When the course is successfully completed, two credits are recorded - one towards the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and the second towards a postsecondary certificate, diploma, degree, or Certificate of Apprenticeship. 

The Plumbing team-taught dual credit is the first of its kind in DCDSB jurisdiction (Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, and the Townships of Uxbridge, Scugog and Brock) and began in September 2023 at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School. Michael Jamieson-Hanson, a Grade 11 student, said, "This course has always piqued my curiosity, but there was always a sense of incompleteness, a missing puzzle piece, and that curveball was Dual Credit. I couldn't have imagined becoming a part of the first Plumbing Dual Credit class, where I could learn while also feeling like a part of a family."

The Dual Credit program has been offered at DCDSB for over 15 years and has continues to expand and grow. Jim Wilson, DCDSB Superintendent of Education, said, "We are incredibly proud to be able to provide further learning opportunities for our students to continue to explore various post-secondary pathways while in our secondary schools. Our ongoing partnership with Durham College, along with expanded pathways offerings, including Specialist High Skills Major, Dual Credit, Co-operative Education, and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, lead to greater student achievement and student success." 

"We are excited to expand opportunities for high school students to engage in college-level skilled trades courses," said Sue Hawkins, Director, School College Work Initiative and Academic Upgrading, Durham College. "The early introduction to the skilled trades allows students to discover the wide array of career paths available and can better prepare students for post-secondary education or apprenticeship programs in these fields. It gives them a head start on acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge, making their transition to further education or training smoother and more successful."  

Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School has been approved by the Ministry of Education to offer a dual credit program in the 2024-2025 school year which will allow students to receive a secondary Construction Technology credit, and a credit for Durham College's Trade Fundamental Basic Electrical course.

The funding to provide the equipment and setup required to deliver the college course at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School was generously supported by the Ministry of Education through the School-College-Work initiative, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Durham College.