Trade Schools & Training Programs in British Columbia
Every verified route into a trade's in-school training in British Columbia — public colleges, union training centres, private career colleges, and free government-funded pre-apprenticeship programs. Unapproved programs are excluded: a wrong listing is worse than a missing one.
38 verified listings · last refreshed 2026-11-14
What the labels mean
- Public college: A publicly funded college that delivers approved in-school apprenticeship training.
- Public college (recognized ECE programs): A publicly funded college offering an early childhood education program recognized for provincial ECE certification.
- Union training centre: Training run by a union or a joint apprenticeship committee, usually for members and registered apprentices in that trade.
- Private career college: A licensed private school offering approved training. Fees are usually higher than at a public college, so compare before you commit.
- Pre-apprenticeship program: A government-funded introduction to a trade. It is not credit-bearing apprenticeship training, and finishing one does not by itself make you a registered apprentice.
Electrician
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) — Burnaby (Public college)
- Camosun College — Victoria (Public college)
- College of New Caledonia — Prince George (Public college)
- College of the Rockies — Cranbrook (Public college)
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University — Surrey (Public college)
- Northern Lights College — Fort St John (Public college)
- Okanagan College — Kelowna (Public college)
- Selkirk College — Nelson (Public college)
- Thompson Rivers University — Kamloops (Public college)
- Vancouver Community College — Vancouver (Public college)
- Vancouver Island University — Nanaimo (Public college)
- BC Centre for Women in the Trades (BCCWITT) — Burnaby (Pre-apprenticeship program)
- Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society — Trade Starters — Surrey (Pre-apprenticeship program)
- Thompson Rivers University — Trades Sampler Program — Kamloops (Pre-apprenticeship program)
- Vancouver Career College — Burnaby (Private career college)
All electrician programs in British Columbia — approval details →
HVAC technician
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) — Burnaby (Public college)
- Camosun College — Victoria (Public college)
- Okanagan College — Kelowna (Public college)
- Thompson Rivers University — Kamloops (Public college)
- Vancouver Community College — Vancouver (Public college)
- Vancouver Island University — Nanaimo (Public college)
- BC Centre for Women in the Trades (BCCWITT) — Burnaby (Pre-apprenticeship program)
- Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society — Trade Starters — Surrey (Pre-apprenticeship program)
All hvac technician programs in British Columbia — approval details →
Welder
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) — Burnaby (Public college)
- Camosun College — Saanich (Public college)
- Coast Mountain College — Terrace (Public college)
- College of New Caledonia — Prince George (Public college)
- College of the Rockies — Cranbrook (Public college)
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University — Surrey (Public college)
- Northern Lights College — Fort St. John (Public college)
- Okanagan College — Kelowna (Public college)
- Thompson Rivers University — Kamloops (Public college)
- Vancouver Island University — Nanaimo (Public college)
- BC Centre for Women in the Trades (BCCWITT) — Burnaby (Pre-apprenticeship program)
- Thompson Rivers University — Trades Sampler Program — Kamloops (Pre-apprenticeship program)
- UA Piping Industry College of BC — Delta (Union training centre)
All welder programs in British Columbia — approval details →
Gas technician
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) — Burnaby (Public college)
- Okanagan College — Kelowna (Public college)
- Thompson Rivers University — Kamloops (Public college)
- Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society — Trade Starters — Surrey (Pre-apprenticeship program)
All gas technician programs in British Columbia — approval details →
Carpenter
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) — Burnaby (Public college)
- Camosun College — Victoria (Public college)
- College of the Rockies — Cranbrook (Public college)
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University — Surrey (Public college)
- Northern Lights College — Dawson Creek (Public college)
- Okanagan College — Kelowna (Public college)
- Thompson Rivers University — Kamloops (Public college)
- Vancouver Island University — Nanaimo (Public college)
- BC Centre for Women in the Trades (BCCWITT) — Burnaby (Pre-apprenticeship program)
All carpenter programs in British Columbia — approval details →
Plumber
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) — Burnaby (Public college)
- Camosun College — Victoria (Public college)
- College of the Rockies — Cranbrook (Public college)
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University — Surrey (Public college)
- Okanagan College — Kelowna (Public college)
- Thompson Rivers University — Kamloops (Public college)
- BC Centre for Women in the Trades (BCCWITT) — Burnaby (Pre-apprenticeship program)
- UA Piping Industry College of BC — Delta (Union training centre)
All plumber programs in British Columbia — approval details →
Early Childhood Educator
- Capilano University — North Vancouver (Public college (recognized ECE programs))
- Langara College — Vancouver (Public college (recognized ECE programs))
All early childhood educator programs in British Columbia — approval details →
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