Responding to the demands of the job market

Vocational training is focused on the practical, which prepares youth for the job market. This type of education, available from the third year of high school (some programs), offers many types of interesting courses.

Easily accessible

Vocational training is available as of Secondary 3. Outside their regular schedule, students can also follow general education courses to obtain a high school diploma (DES). It is also possible, under certain conditions and with the help of remedial courses, to continue on to college and even university studies.

  • Trains young people according to the demands of the labor market.
  • Promotes skills acquisition through work placements.
  • Leads to competitive wages and attractive working conditions.
  • Is a gateway to pursuing higher education if the student chooses to do so.
  • Varies in duration from 600 to 1,800 hours (6 months to 2 years).
  • Offers the student vocational training courses only (no English, French, science, etc.).
  • Brings together programs of study requiring reasoning, theoretical knowledge and manual skills.

DEP-DEC is a gateway that allows college recognition of skills acquired through vocational training.

  • Approximately 30 vocational studies diplomas (DVS) give access to some 25 diplomas of collegial studies (DEC) under the DEP-DEC formula.
  • For example, holders of a Secretarial DVS can register for Office Systems Technology DEC, while graduates of Machining Techniques DVS can access the Mechanical Engineering Technology DEC.

Consult cégep websites for the list of possible DEP-DECs available per establishment.

To explore the trades in vocational training visit the following websites offering accurate descriptions:

See Post-secondary section to learn more about vocational and post-secondary education.