Trades - Apprenticeship in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic: Apprenticeship is a trades - apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering programme offered by Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada. The programme runs for 33 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English.
At a glance
Degree:Trades - Apprenticeship
Field:Mechanical Engineering
Duration: 33 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
We have no tuition fees on record for this programme yet — see the official programme page.
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Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This program delivers the Red Seal apprenticeship technical training for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic trade, administered through SkilledTradesBC. Training runs across four levels — six weeks for Level 1, seven weeks for Level 2, ten weeks for Level 3, and ten weeks for Level 4 — with the first three levels based at Okanagan College's Penticton campus and Level 4 delivered at the Kelowna Trades Complex. Applicants must already be registered apprentices with SkilledTradesBC and employed by a sponsoring employer with at least one qualified journeyperson; the trade requires a minimum of 5,415 workplace hours completed alongside the in-class blocks. Coursework covers trades mathematics and safety, welding and brazing, electrical fundamentals, refrigeration cycle theory, air conditioning systems, control systems, piping practices, and gas-fired equipment. Graduates who complete Level 4 can pursue the BC Gasfitter Level B certification as an additional credential, and apprentices who finish Levels 3 and 4 become eligible for provincial tax credits. The program suits domestic apprentices already working in the refrigeration and air conditioning trade who need the classroom technical-training component of their apprenticeship, rather than newcomers with no trade employment.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic: Apprenticeship is an apprenticeship-level program at Okanagan College: admission requires the applicant to already be registered as an apprentice with SkilledTradesBC and employed by an employer with at least one qualified journeyperson in the trade. The program page notes that an applicant who is not yet registered can have their employer register them through SkilledTradesBC's online portal, described as free, simple and completable within a few minutes. No secondary-school course, grade minimum, or English-language proficiency test is stated as a requirement at this apprenticeship level; entry is administered through the SkilledTradesBC apprenticeship system and employer sponsorship rather than through the College's own academic admission requirements. Applicants should confirm current registration status directly with SkilledTradesBC before applying to the program intake.
Application Details
Start Date:October, January, March, May 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.
