Automotive Service Technician Certificate at University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, Canada is a foundation in Trades programme. The programme runs for 34 weeks, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 138 per credit for local students.
This foundation certificate gives students with little or no automotive experience an entry point into the automotive service trade. Delivered full-time, Monday to Friday, over 34 weeks at UFV's Trades and Technology Centre in Chilliwack, the program teaches the fundamentals of automotive repair through hands-on training with specialized shop equipment. Topics include brake, steering and suspension systems, engine service and repair, engine support systems, and vehicle electrical systems. Small class sizes support close instructor supervision. The program also offers an upgrading option for people already working in the automotive industry who want to formalize their skills. On completion, graduates can seek advanced placement in the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship program rather than starting apprenticeship training from the beginning, and are prepared for entry-level positions in dealerships, independent repair shops, fleet maintenance operations, and shops specializing in exhaust, brakes, transmissions or tune-ups. It suits people beginning a career in automotive service who need foundational shop skills before moving into paid apprenticeship, as distinct from those already registered and sponsored as apprentices.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Open entry on paper, but with three hurdles. ACADEMIC BASIS: B.C. secondary school graduation or an equivalent, or mature-student standing at 19 or older - secondary graduation is only recommended, not compulsory. MATHS: Mathematics 10 or higher at C or better - Foundations of Mathematics, Pre-calculus, Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics, MATH 072 and MATH 076 all qualify, or a pass on UFV's own trades maths entrance exam, which you book through ufv.ca/trades/entrance-exam. Anyone more than three years out of formal schooling is urged to sit the maths assessment first; upgrading can usually run alongside the programme. ENGLISH: English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12 at C or better (Communications 12, English 12, English Literature 12, AP English, IB English A or an out-of-province equivalent also count), or Accuplacer Reading 80 with WritePlacer 5 or better on the 8-point scale, or UFV's CPT at 41, or TOEFL iBT 80 with no section under 19, or any other score on UFV's Entry-level English list. Applicants who miss the English bar are offered Adult Basic Education, English Language Studies or the University Foundation certificate first. APPLYING: continuous application through ufv.ca/admissions/apply, with seats given out in order of recorded application date; Grade 12 students may apply during their graduating year with a letter from a counsellor or principal, and produce the transcript before a seat is confirmed. Note that UFV's programme list marks this trades programme as not open to international applicants.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply directly to UFV: applications for Fall (September) 2027 entry open 1 October 2026, for Winter (January) 2027 entry opened 1 May 2026, and for Summer (May) 2027 entry open 1 October 2026; UFV publishes no closing date for any of these and instead admits many programmes strictly in application-date order once every required document has arrived, so applying soon after opening matters more than any deadline. Grade 12 students may apply from 1 October of their graduating year and must send final transcripts by 3 August. International applicants use UFV International's own windows - 1 October to 31 May for Fall, 1 May to 31 October for Winter and 1 October to 1 March for Summer - and are likewise assessed on a rolling, first-arrived basis until each programme fills. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
