Heavy Mechanical Foundation Certificate is a foundation in Upgrading/upskilling programme offered by Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada. The programme runs for 38 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 6,200 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Foundation
Field:Upgrading/upskilling
Duration: 38 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 6,200 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This one-year foundation certificate runs full-time over 38 weeks (1,140 hours) at the Kelowna Trades Complex, offered as day classes or a mixed afternoon/evening schedule, and introduces students with little or no prior trade experience to the theory and practical skills shared across four related heavy mechanical trades: Heavy Duty Mechanic, Commercial Transport Mechanic, Diesel Engine Mechanic, and Transport Trailer Technician. The program includes a two-week industry work placement that exposes students to a real shop environment before they seek employment. Several intakes run across the year, each capped at 18 seats. On completion, graduates receive an Okanagan College certificate along with Level 1 technical training credit and 450 work-based hours recognized by SkilledTradesBC toward whichever of the four trades they choose to pursue as an apprentice. The foundation structure lets students sample the common groundwork across these mechanical trades before committing to a specific apprenticeship, making it suited to people exploring heavy equipment and transport mechanics careers without prior hands-on experience in the field.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Entry requires B.C. secondary school graduation or the equivalent, or admission as a mature applicant at least 19 years of age and out of secondary school for at least one year. The English requirement is English 10 with a minimum of 50% or an approved alternative; the program page does not publish IELTS, TOEFL or other standardized test scores. The mathematics requirement is a minimum of 50% in an accepted Grade 11 mathematics course (Pre-calculus, Foundations, Apprenticeship and Workplace, Workplace, Principles, Applications, or Essentials of Mathematics 11) or Adult Basic Education MATH 011, MATH 084 and MATH 085, or IALG 011; or, if that requirement was completed more than seven years before enrolment, a minimum of 63% on the Trades Entrance Assessment (TEA) mathematics test, valid for two years.
Application Details
Start Date:September, January, March and August
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.
