Since January 2024, short-term training courses leading to obtaining a Skills Training Certificate are offered for the following construction trades:
- Carpentry
- Construction Equipment Operation (leading to the trades of heavy equipment operator or shovel operator)
- Tinsmithing
- Refrigeration
For more information, visit www.ccq.org/AEP.
In Québec, there are study programs leading to a vocational training diploma (DEP) for all the trades and some specialized occupations in the construction industry. These programs simulate the conditions that students will later find on construction sites. The duration and location of the programs varies by trade and occupation. Graduates benefit from privileged access to the construction industry.
Here is the list of study programs available from the Inforoute de la formation professionnelle et technique au Québec. Through these programs, people have access to the construction industry as apprentices with a diploma for each of the trades.
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Academic prerequisites
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Academic prerequisites category 1
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Academic prerequisites category 2
Anyone who wishes to obtain an apprentice competency certificate (ACC) in the construction industry must have a diploma in his or her trade. People without a diploma may also obtain an ACC under certain conditions. These individuals must, among other things, fulfill a training obligation by taking one or more modules of the vocational study program in their trade each year.
To be admitted into a vocational study program, individuals must have the academic prerequisites required by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur (MEES). These requirements are set out in the Regulations Respecting Workforce in the Construction Industry.
Prerequisites category
There are three ways to fulfil the conditions for admission to a study program:-
Hold a high school leaving certificate (DES) issued by MEES.
OR
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Have passed the Secondary 3 or Secondary 4 units in the language of teaching, the second language, and mathematics, depending on the study program.
OR
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Have the functional prerequisites prescribed for the targeted study program.
Completed DES
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High school leaving certificate;
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Twelfth-grade certificate;
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High school leaving certificate twelfth grade;
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Secondary V certificate;
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High school leaving certificate Secondary V;
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Attestation d’équivalence de niveau de scolarité (AENS);
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Transcript with the notation that the diploma or leaving certificate has been granted. In this case, in order for it to be submitted to the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ), it must say “copie certifiée conforme au registre officiel du Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur” and bear the signature of the Directeur de la Sanction des études.
If you do not have one of these documents, you must go to a training centre that offers services for evaluating these prerequisites. These centres have the jurisdiction to adjudicate whether general training meets the current conditions for admission to a vocational studies program.
Completed college or university studies
Anyone who has not completed high school but has completed college and obtained a college diploma (DEC) may submit to the CCQ his or her bulletin d'études collégiales or a copy, if this certifies that he or she has obtained the DEC general or DEC technique diploma. It is also possible that a person has completed university studies and obtained a bachelor’s degree. If this is the case, the person may submit to the CCQ the original or a copy of the university transcript if this certifies that the person has obtained the bachelor’s degree.Not Completed DES
Evaluation services for academic prerequisites
The training centres offering these services have the resources to provide information to clients and evaluate their personal file. They may also analyze the file and offer alternatives that are recognized by the entire school system, such as:-
The test d’équivalence de niveau de scolarité (TENS);
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Assessment of the school units in French, English, and mathematics;
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Evaluation of functional prerequisites.
Following analysis of a file, if the candidate possesses the prerequisites for admission to the study program for the trade that he or she wants to practice, he or she receives a Certificate of Prerequisites. This document must be presented to the CCQ with an application for issuance of a competency certificate-apprentice (CCA). This analysis takes time and the presence of the candidate; therefore, an appointment must be made.
To find out which training centres offer evaluation of academic prerequisites, contact the school service center in your region.
The Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) accepts both original documents and copies.
For individuals with a secondary-school diploma or its recognized equivalent, no further condition for admission is required.
OR
For individuals aged at least 16 years on September 30 of the school year during which they began their training, the condition for admission is the following: have obtained the Secondary 4 units in the language of instruction, the second language, and mathematics.
OR
For individuals aged at last 18 years, the condition for admission is the following: pass the general development test and the prerequisites specific to the desired program.
OR
For individuals who have passed the Secondary 3 units in the language of instruction, the second language, and mathematics in educational programs established by the minister, continuation of general education simultaneously with vocational training is required in order to obtain the units missing among the following: Secondary 4 units in language of instruction, in second language, and in mathematics in the educational programs established by the minister.
For individuals with a secondary-school diploma or its recognized equivalent, no further condition for admission is required.
OR
For individuals aged at least 16 years on September 30 of the school year during which they began their training, the condition for admission is the following: have obtained the Secondary 3 units in the language of instruction, the second language, and mathematics.
OR
For individuals aged at last 18 years, the admission condition is the following: pass the general development test and the prerequisites specific to the desired program.
To be certain that you have the required academic prerequisites, please contact one of the vocational training centres that offer the vocational training program that you want.Recognition of prior learning and competencies
Recognition of prior learning and competencies offers the possibility of having one’s experience and skills recognized officially by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur (MEES) in order to obtain a diploma more quickly. Recognition of prior learning and competencies may enable holders of a competency certificate-apprentice to :
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Become a graduate without having to take all modules of the study program;
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Be released from the training obligation for renewal of their competency certificate-apprentice;
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Increase their skills and employability;
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Improve their chances of success in the qualification examination.
These services are of particular interest to those who have already completed part of the study program for a trade or who have acquired a number of skills on the job market. Each region of Québec offers services for recognition of acquired knowledge and skills. For more information on this subject, consult the Reconnaissance des acquis et des compétences (RAC) pages on the Web site of the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur (MEES).