Occupation

The 30-hour course Santé et sécurité générale sur les chantiers de construction is offered through the schools in the different school boards or through the construction industry’s employer and union associations.

To register for this course, candidates must refer to the school services centre in their region or to the association that represents them.

Graduate blaster and driller, line worker, land surveyor instrument person, and diver candidates, as well as people who entered the industry due to the state of the labour pools, do not have to register for the Cours de connaissance générale de l’industrie de la construction (CCGIC) to obtain their first occupation competency certificate (OCC). However, to renew their OCC, they must, within their training obligation period, pass the CCGIC, which is divided into two separate training activities. 

Welders and pipe welders

Graduate welder and pipe welder candidates must register for the CCGIC, which is divided into two distinct parts, to obtain their first OCC.

Registration for the CCGIC 2025

The annual registration period (Forecast period) begins on February 17, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. and ends on February 28, 2025 at 16h:30 p.m. Those who submit their application will receive a written response before the end of March.

If there are places remaining after the first period, a second registration period (Off- Forecast period) will take place from March 24, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. to October 24, 2025 or until all places are filled. Since places are limited, it is recommended to submit your application during the first registration period.

Outside of the registration periods, it is possible to join the industry due to the state of the labour pools.

Estimation of workforce needs

Access to the construction industry for welders and pipe welders depends mainly on the needs expressed by the industry in the context of an annual estimate of workforce needs.

The annual number of places available for the CCGIC is determined through a process of estimation of workforce needs conducted by the industry’s employer and worker representatives. If the number of registrations is higher than the estimated needs, a random draw determines the people selected.  

Here is the distribution of places, by region:

Source : CCQ, Direction de la formation professionnelle, October 2024

¹ For the Forecast and Off-Forecast periods, registration requests for women and Indigenous people are accepted even if the estimate for the specialized occupation and the region concerned does not show any available places.

Recognized diplomas

For 2025, only people who have graduated from one or another of the following study programs may register for the CCGIC:

How to register

To register for the CCGIC, you must satisfy the general conditions and present the following documentation, depending on the situation:

People holding a DEP, having obtained their diploma:

Less than 90 days ago

• Attach the original of their provisional attestation of training (the document will be returned by mail)

or

• Attach a copy of their transcript issued by the Ministère de l’Éducation for education mentioning that they passed their DEP

More than 90 days ago

• No academic documentation needs to be provided

People holding a DEC or an AEC:

• Attach the original, or a copy, of their college studies transcript that mentions that they passed the program (the document will be returned by mail) 

Forms

• You must fill out the form Registration application person with a diploma “Cours de connaissance générale de l’industrie de la construction (CCGIC)” 2025
• You must fill out the form Application for registration or modification of identification file or choice of union association (CCGIC 2025)

Fee required

• You must pay a fee of $110 (cheque, postal money order, credit card, debit card, or cash) with the registration application: $10 registration fee and $100 for training costs and issuance of the competency certificate.

It should be noted that any payment refused by a bank automatically cancels the registration.

How to submit your file to CCQ

The supporting documents required must be sent by mail to the following address:

Commission de la construction du Québec
a/s CCGIC 2025
Case postale 2030, succursale Chabanel
Montréal (Québec)  H2N 0C4

To protect yourself from loss or theft, it is recommended not to send cash by mail. 

Candidates may also go to one of the CCQ’s regional offices with all of their documentation.

Course schedule

One of the parts of the CCGIC, lasting 15 hours, will be offered soon. Individuals selected must make themselves available Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (two days).

Please note that the CCQ reserves the right to group together registrations from different regions to ensure that the training will take place.

Since 1994, the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) has mandated the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) to manage certification of blaster.

To perform blasting work or any other work necessitating the use of explosives, it is obligatory to hold a blaster certificate.

If the construction site is covered by the Act Respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry (Act R-20), the blaster must also hold an occupation competency certificate.

Obtaining a first blaster certificate

The following conditions are required to obtain a first blaster certificate:

• Be at least 18 years old 
• Hold a valid general explosives permit  issued by the Sûreté du Québec
• Pass the blaster examination

To register for the examination, the candidate must:

• Have completed the vocational studies program Forage et dynamitage from the ministry responsible for education OR have worked as a blaster’s assistant for at least 150 hours over the previous 24 months (written proof required)
• Send the Blaster certificate application form, duly filled out, accompanied by the documents required, to one of the CCQ’s regional offices 

Blaster certification examination 

Blaster examination

The blaster examination is intended essentially to validate your knowledge and experience concerning blasting work or any other work necessitating the use of explosives. This examination is presented in the form of multiple-choice questions and is available in English and French. The examination questions integrate both the imperial and the international measurement systems.

The time allowed for the examination is 3 hours, or 180 minutes. The examination has 51 questions, each of which is worth 1 point. The passing grade is 80%. The material provided for taking the examination includes a calculator, a pencil, and an eraser. No other materials or reference documents are authorized during the exam.

To clearly establish your identity, you will be asked to show one official piece of identification, when you arrive for the examination.

The results

The results are sent within two weeks following your taking the examination. If you have passed the examination, the CCQ will issue your blaster certificate on behalf of the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). If you have failed, you will be notified in writing of the conditions for retaking the examination and when you can register to retake it.

Preparation for the examination 

You must be very familiar with Division IV of the Safety Code for the Construction Industry, “Handling and Use of Explosives.”

If you fail the examination 

After a first failure of the examination, you must wait one month before retaking the examination. If you fail a second time, you must wait three months. 

Renewing the blaster certificate 

Two renew a blaster certificate, you must simply send the Blasters certificate application form, duly filled out, accompanied by the documents required, to one of the CCQ’s regional offices.

Since November 30, 2010, when a blaster certificate is renewed, the expiry date of the new certificate has been harmonized with that for the general explosives certificate (GEC) issued by the Sûreté du Québec. Applications for renewal of the GEC must still be sent to the Sûreté du Québec. However, it is no longer necessary to present your GEC to the CCQ with your application for renewal of the blaster certificate. The CCQ will verify directly with the Sûreté du Québec whether the applicant holds a valid GEC.

The occupation competency certificate (OCC) will be renewed automatically or upon application if the conditions for renewal are satisfied.

If you were inactive for certain specific reasons, you may be able to renew your certificate free of charge.

Contact Customer Services to make your renewal upon request.

If the certificate cannot be renewed, you must comply with the general conditions for obtaining an occupation competency certificate.

Automatic renewal – having passed the CCGIC

• If you have an OCC valid for 12 months issued for the first time after you passed the Cours de connaissance générale de l’industrie de la construction (CCGIC), you must work at least 150 hours (hours declared and registered with the CCQ) during the validity period in order for it to be renewed for a 12-month period
  
  

OR

• If you have an OCC valid for 12 months that was not issued for the first time after you passed the CCGIC, it will be renewed for a 12-month period if you have worked in the construction industry during the 14 months prior to its renewal date (hours declared and registered with the CCQ)

Automatic renewal –CCGIC not taken

To renew your first OCC with a 12-month validity period, you must:

• Have worked in the industry during the 14 months prior to the renewal
  
  

AND

• Have taken and passed the Cours de connaissance générale de l’industrie de la construction (CCGIC).

To pass the CCGIC, the following two parts must be passed:

• Passing the 15-hour module Situation au regard des organismes de l’industrie de la construction
  
  

AND

• Completing one or more upgrading activities, with a minimum duration of 45 hours, offered in the Répertoire des activités de perfectionnement for occupations in the construction industry. Note that if you are a graduate of a recognized study program for a specialized occupation, you have satisfied this second requirement. You must, however, ensure that this training is registered in your CCQ file.

Renewal by application

• You may apply for renewal of an OCC if at least 10,000 hours (5,000 hours under the measures for women) have been declared and registered with the CCQ in an occupation. These hours must have been accumulated after January 1, 1971, and at least one hour must have been worked during the five years preceding the application
  
  

AND

• You may apply for the renewal of an OCC at most 8 months after expiry of the previous competency certificate. Your application must be accompanied by a 150-hour job guarantee from an employer registered with the CCQ. These hours must be worked over a period of at most three consecutive months.