At Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Canada, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic Foundation Certificate is offered as a foundation in Trades programme. The programme runs for 25 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,800 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Foundation
Field:Trades
Duration: 25 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,800 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This foundation program at Thompson Rivers University introduces the refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic trade through a 25-week, full-time term delivered at the Kamloops campus. Instruction combines classroom theory with hands-on shop training, corresponding to the in-school technical training equivalent to apprenticeship Level 1. Graduates receive a Foundation Certificate of Completion and are credited with 425 work-based hours toward their subsequent apprenticeship. Admission requires high school graduation or mature student status, with English 11 and Math 11 at a minimum of 60%. The program suits individuals with little or no prior experience in refrigeration and air conditioning work who want a structured entry point into the trade before securing an employer sponsor. On completion, students can move into TRU's four-level Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic apprenticeship, working toward a Certificate of Apprenticeship and eligibility for the interprovincial Red Seal exam.
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. Applicants must also obtain CSA-approved boots and clear safety glasses. 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.
