Offered by Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Canada, Welding Foundation Certificate is a foundation in Trades programme. The programme runs for 28 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 3,200 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Foundation
Field:Trades
Duration: 28 weeks
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,200 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Welding Foundation Certificate at Thompson Rivers University is an entry-level, pre-apprenticeship program covering Levels 1 and 2 of technical welding training over 28 weeks, delivered at both the Kamloops and Williams Lake campuses with multiple intakes scheduled into 2026 to 2028. It combines classroom theory with shop-based practical instruction and prepares learners for entry-level positions as apprentice welders across sectors including manufacturing, construction, transportation, resource extraction and resource development. Students write the SkilledTradesBC standardized written exam after each of Level 1 and Level 2. On completion, graduates receive a certificate and advance credit for Levels 1 and 2 of the technical-training component of the welder apprenticeship, and the university recommends gaining a further 3,000 hours of hands-on field experience before returning for Level 3 training. It suits high-school graduates or mature students with no prior welding experience who want a full-time, campus-based foundation before entering the workforce as a registered apprentice, rather than tradespeople who are already indentured and need only the higher apprenticeship levels.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The program's own page states three entry conditions for the Welding Foundation certificate (Levels 1 and 2): high-school graduation (or equivalent) or mature-student status; English 11 at 60% or higher; and Math 10 at 60% or higher (any Math 10 or equivalent). The page also recommends good vision, unimpaired hearing, sound respiration and good general health. 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.
