Sheet Metal Worker Foundation Certificate at Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada is a foundation in Upgrading/upskilling programme. The programme runs for 20 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,700 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Foundation
Field:Upgrading/upskilling
Duration: 20 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,700 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This certificate is Okanagan College's entry-level, pre-apprenticeship program for the Sheet Metal Worker trade, delivered full-time over 20 weeks (600 hours) at the Kelowna campus. It follows SkilledTradesBC's guidelines for the trade's first-year in-class component, and graduates receive credit for Level One Technical Training plus 350 work-based hours toward the Sheet Metal Worker apprenticeship. The program is aimed at people with little or no previous experience in the trade who want to prepare for employment as an apprentice sheet metal worker. Admission requires BC secondary school graduation or equivalent, or being 19 or older and out of school for at least a year, along with English 10 at a minimum 50% and a mathematics requirement that can also be met by passing the Trades Entrance Assessment. The curriculum is built around six core courses covering safe work practices and tool use, layout and pattern development, fabrication techniques, installation of air handling systems, and a Level One review culminating in an exam. As a foundation program, it does not require an existing employer sponsor, unlike the trade's apprenticeship levels.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Entry to the Sheet Metal Worker Foundation program 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 as of the first day of classes. Academic prerequisites: English 10 with a minimum of 50 per cent (alternatives accepted per the College's equivalency list), and mathematics — a minimum of 50 per cent in Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 10, Workplace Mathematics 10, Foundations of Mathematics and Pre-Calculus 10, Mathematics 10, or Adult Basic Education MATH 071/072, or a minimum of 50 per cent on the College's Trades Entrance Assessment (TEA) mathematics test, valid for two years; applicants whose qualifying course is more than seven years old must rewrite the TEA. Applicants must also present government-issued photo identification — a driver's licence, other photo ID, or a valid passport — to write the provincial and national trade exams; student ID cards are not accepted. No IELTS, TOEFL or other standardized English test is specified.
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.
