Hire a sheet metal worker in Québec.

It depends on your sector. In residential, the ratio is 1 apprentice per journeyperson. In institutional-commercial, industrial, and civil engineering, you need 2 journeypersons to bring on 1 apprentice — and at least 1 journeyperson must be on site at all times. Make sure the apprentice holds a valid CCA before bringing them on. It's also worth confirming their ASP Construction card is current, since that health and safety training is required before the CCQ issues any competency certificate. With 1,060 companies recruiting against only 5,622 active workers in 2024, verifying paperwork early avoids losing a candidate mid-hire. Given the CCQ has identified low availability and an aging workforce as ongoing pressures on this trade, an apprentice with a valid CCA and current ASP card is worth moving quickly to secure.

Not directly. To work on sites governed by the R-20 Act in Quebec, a worker needs a CCQ competency certificate. A worker from another province can apply to the CCQ for recognition of their training and experience to get their card, but they need to apply before starting work. The CCQ has a recognition-of-prior-learning process for this. This path is worth pursuing given the CCQ has flagged low labour availability in this trade, with an aging workforce — average age 39.4, and 14% already 55 or older — adding pressure on the local pipeline. Confirm the equivalency is granted before the worker starts on any of your sites. With 14% of active sheet metal workers already 55 or older, out-of-province recognition is likely to become a more common recruiting route as retirements accelerate.

Rates are set by CCQ collective agreements and vary by sector where your work takes place. Check current rates directly on the wage rate tool at ccq.org/salaire — select your sector and date to get the exact rate to apply. When in doubt, refer to your collective agreement or employer association. The overall range for a journeyperson runs from $47.85 to $51.26 an hour depending on sector, so institutional-commercial work — 83% of the trade's volume — is generally where you'll apply the higher end of that scale. With 1,060 companies competing for a pool of 5,622 active workers in 2024, getting the rate right matters for retention too. Since 83% of the trade's volume sits in institutional-commercial work, that's usually the rate range worth budgeting around first when quoting a project.