At British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby, Canada, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic Foundation Certificate is offered as a foundation in Trades programme. The programme runs for 25 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,700 per total for local students.
This certificate program introduces students to basic refrigeration system design, installation, and service, preparing them for entry-level employment in commercial refrigeration. It runs full-time over 25 weeks at BCIT's Burnaby campus, on a 0700-1400 Monday-to-Friday schedule, with a single intake each September. Admission requires English Studies 12 at 67% or the BCIT English Trades Entry Assessment, Pre-Calculus 11, Foundations of Math 11, or Workplace Math 11 at 60%, and the BCIT Mechanical Reasoning Trades Entry Assessment. The program is open to international students, though they cannot continue on to the subsequent apprenticeship program. Graduates who enter the trade within one year of completing the program receive credit toward the first level of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic apprenticeship, and their records are transferred to SkilledTradesBC for apprenticeship tracking. The program suits individuals interested in working with mechanical and electrical systems who enjoy troubleshooting and working independently, providing a structured, campus-based introduction to the trade before entering paid apprenticeship employment.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Applicants must meet Category 2 English proficiency, English Studies 12 at 67% 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 60%, or the BCIT Math Trades Entry Assessment, and applicants must also complete the BCIT Mechanical Reasoning Trades Entry Assessment. The page recommends a good command of oral and written English, sufficient physical strength and stamina, good hearing, eyesight and colour vision, manual dexterity, and good theoretical and practical mathematical skills, but states no portfolio, interview, or minimum-GPA condition. International applicants are eligible and need a valid BCIT study permit, but cannot continue into apprenticeship training afterward.
Application Details
Start Date:September
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.
