At Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Canada, Automotive Service Technician Foundation Certificate is offered as a foundation in Trades programme. The programme runs for 30 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,500 per total for local students.
This foundation program at Thompson Rivers University introduces students to the automotive service technician trade through 27 weeks of full-time, on-campus study in Kamloops. Coursework combines classroom instruction with hands-on shop training in diagnostic technology, tools, and vehicle systems, corresponding to the in-school component of Level 1 apprenticeship technical training. Graduates receive a Foundation Certificate of Completion and are credited with 450 hours of work-based training time toward their apprenticeship. Admission requires high school graduation or mature student status, along with English 11 and Math 11 at a minimum of 60%. After completing the foundation program, students continue into the four-level Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship, which requires employer sponsorship registered with SkilledTradesBC, working toward the interprovincial Red Seal Certificate of Qualification. The program suits individuals who enjoy working with vehicles, using diagnostic equipment, and troubleshooting mechanical and electronic systems. It provides an entry point into the trade for those without prior sponsorship or experience, building the technical foundation needed before beginning employer-sponsored apprenticeship training. Training takes place at the Kamloops campus, with intakes offered periodically.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The program's own page states three entry conditions for the Foundation certificate: high-school graduation (or equivalent) or mature-student status; English 11 at 60% or higher; and Math 11 at 60% or higher (any Math 11 or equivalent). No further conditions are published on the page. Thompson Rivers University's general undergraduate admission basis also applies at the institutional level: graduation from a recognised high-school curriculum, 12 or more transferable post-secondary credits, or mature-student status; international applicants must additionally have completed secondary school and be at least 17 years old.International applicants must also meet Thompson Rivers University's own language bar for direct entry into an undergraduate certificate or diploma program: IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0, or TOEFL iBT 88 with no section below 20, per TRU's English requirements page.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) apply directly to TRU: for the September (Fall) intake the deadline is 1 May, for January (Winter) it is 1 September, and for the May (Summer) intake it is 1 January; applications for most programs open 1 October, and a deadline falling on a weekend or statutory holiday moves to the next working day. International applicants follow the same intake structure with deadlines of 1 May (September), 1 October (January) and 1 February (May); TRU still reviews later applications where space remains, though high-volume programs can close early, so admission runs on a rolling basis around these published cut-offs for the 2027 entry cycle. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
