Aircraft Maintenance Engineer: Structures Certificate at Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada is a foundation in Aerospace & Automotive Engineering programme. The programme runs for 40 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 43,400 per total (CAD 9,400 per total for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Foundation
Field:Aerospace & Automotive Engineering
Duration: 40 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 9,400 / total
International tuition: CAD 43,400 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This certificate program at Okanagan College's Kelowna Aerospace Centre introduces students with little or no prior trade background to aircraft structural maintenance, one of the two Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) "S" (Structures) license streams. Delivered full-time over one year (40 weeks, roughly 1,058 hours), instruction splits between classroom theory, covering roughly a third of scheduled time, and hands-on practical training in aircraft structural repair. The college runs two intakes per year, in February and August, each capped at 16 seats to keep instructor-to-student ratios workable in the shop environment. Coursework follows Transport Canada standards for AME licensing, and graduates are credited with ten months toward the 36-month practical experience requirement needed before sitting the Transport Canada AME "S" licensing exam, giving a head start on the path to a full aircraft maintenance license. The certificate suits people drawn to precise, physically demanding trade work: it calls for stamina for standing and lifting, sound manual dexterity for fine repair tasks, and comfort working at heights and around active aircraft. It functions as an entry point into the aviation maintenance sector rather than a stand-alone qualification.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Academic base: B.C. secondary-school graduation or the equivalent, or being 19 or older and out of secondary school for a year as of the first day of classes.
English: English 11 at a minimum of 50 per cent, or an accepted alternative, or a reading-comprehension score of at least 83 per cent on the Trades Entrance Assessment.
Mathematics: at least 50 per cent in one of Pre-Calculus 11, Principles of Mathematics 11, Foundations of Mathematics 11, Applications of Mathematics 11, Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 11, Workplace Mathematics 11, Essentials of Mathematics 11, ABE MATH 011, ABE MATH 080, ABE IALG 011, or ABE MATH 084 together with MATH 085 - or at least 63 per cent on the Trades Entrance Assessment mathematics test, whose scores are valid for two years. Anyone who last met the mathematics requirement more than seven years ago must sit the Trades Entrance Assessment mathematics test and reach 63 per cent.
International applicants meeting English by test use the College's English 11 (50 per cent) table: IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band under 6.0, TOEFL 79 internet-based, CAEL 50, PTE Academic 56 with no communicative skill under 55, or Duolingo 105, with results under two years old.
Good colour vision and an interest in mechanics are recommended.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC (a $30 CAD fee): Okanagan College sets no fixed closing date for most programmes in the 2026-27/2027-28 cycle. Applications for a Fall intake open at 8:30 a.m. on October's first business day of the preceding year, and for a Winter intake at 8:30 a.m. on February's first business day of the preceding year (exceptions apply); Practical Nursing's January intake opens at 9:00 a.m. on April's first business day of the preceding year. Most programmes accept applications until seats fill, though Nursing and Dental programmes set their own fixed or ranked deadlines on their own pages. International applicants also apply through EducationPlannerBC, paying a $100 CAD per-programme fee; the College publishes no institution-wide international closing date and directs applicants to each programme's own page. Admission is otherwise rolling. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
