Piping Foundation Certificate at British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby, Canada is a foundation in Trades programme. The programme runs for 26 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,800 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Foundation
Field:Trades
Duration: 26 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,800 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This certificate program is an entry-level introduction to the piping trades — Plumbing, Steamfitting, and Sprinklerfitting — combining the hands-on skills and technical theory expected of a Level 1 apprentice. Delivered full-time over 26 weeks as a single 52-credit course (PIPE 1140 Piping Foundation, Harmonized), the program runs at BCIT's Burnaby campus on a 0730-1400 Monday-to-Friday schedule, with up to eight intakes a year across January, February, April, May, June, August, September, and November. By exposing students to all three piping specialties, it lets them make an informed choice before committing to a specific trade. On completion, students receive credit for Level 1 apprenticeship technical training in their chosen piping field, along with 350 workplace hours credited toward their apprenticeship, and can progress toward Red Seal endorsement through subsequent apprenticeship levels once employed. The program suits people with no prior trade experience seeking a structured, campus-based route into plumbing, steamfitting, or sprinklerfitting before entering paid apprenticeship employment.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Applicants must meet Category 3 English proficiency, English Studies 12 at 50% or equivalent, or pass the BCIT English Trades Entry Assessment. Mathematics is met by Pre-Calculus 11, Foundations of Math 11 or Workplace Math 11, each at 50%, another acceptable BC or Yukon course, or the BCIT Math Trades Entry Assessment. Applications are accepted year-round and are considered on a first-qualified basis as space remains, with qualified applicants wait-listed once an intake is full. No portfolio, interview, or minimum-GPA condition is stated. The program is open to international applicants, who need a valid BCIT study permit, but cannot continue into apprenticeship training afterward, and the program does not qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.
Application Details
Start Date:Multiple intakes throughout the year
Application Deadline:BCIT publishes common credential application dates for most cohort-based diplomas, degrees and Flexible Learning routes, though each program's own page governs: for the January 2027 intake domestic applications run 1 February 2026 to 2 January 2027 and international to 1 November 2026; for the April 2027 intake domestic runs 1 May 2026 to 1 April 2027 and international to 1 February 2027; for September 2027 domestic applications open 1 October 2026 and close 1 September 2027, international 2 July 2027. Openings are 9:00 am and deadlines 11:59 pm Pacific Time, moving to the next business day on a weekend. Admission is not institute-wide rolling, but many programs work first-qualified-first-accepted and can fill before the posted deadline, and several programs, mostly in Health Sciences, trades and graduate studies, run entirely separate application tables of their own. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
