How to become an HVAC technician in Quebec and what certifications are needed?
To work in refrigeration and air conditioning on Quebec construction sites, the trade is frigoriste (CCQ trade 418):
Worker pathway (CCQ):
- DEP in refrigeration (program 5386): 1,800 hours (CCQ trade brochure "Frigoriste"; inforoutefpt lists an approximate duration of 18 months)
- CCQ apprentice competency certificate: after passing the DEP, on presentation of a job guarantee from an employer registered with the CCQ covering at least 150 hours over 3 consecutive months
- Apprenticeship: 4 periods of 2,000 hours (8,000 hours in total)
- CCQ qualification exam (Frigoriste, trade 418): 3 hours, 60 questions, 60% passing grade — it leads to the journeyman competency certificate
Heating and contractor licence: subclasses 15.1 to 15.5 (forced-air heating, natural gas burners, oil burners, hydronic heating, plumbing) are business licences whose qualification the Régie du bâtiment du Québec entrusts to the CMMTQ (RBQ, "All the steps for obtaining a licence", consulted October 18, 2026). They are not a worker's competency certificate: that certificate is issued by the CCQ.
Hourly rates in construction (CCQ, trade 418, institutional and commercial sector, day shift, regular rate, query of October 18, 2026):
- 1st-period apprentice: $25.40/h
- 2nd-period apprentice: $30.47/h
- 3rd-period apprentice: $35.55/h
- 4th-period apprentice: $43.17/h
- Journeyman: $50.79/h
Rates vary by sector and by shift; the CCQ publishes them in its "Wage rates" tool.