Highlights:
British Columbia
Attending a trade school in British Columbia provides students with practical, career-driven training that prepares them for high-demand jobs across the province. BC’s trade schools and institutes, such as BCIT and regional colleges, offer programs in areas like carpentry, electrical, plumbing, automotive service, and culinary arts, blending classroom instruction with hands-on learning. Many also include apprenticeship opportunities, allowing students to gain paid, real-world experience while studying. With BC’s growing industries and infrastructure projects, trade school graduates often find strong job prospects, competitive wages, and a clear pathway to long-term career growth.
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)
Offers extensive programs across construction (carpentry, sheet metal, welding, plumbing/pipe), electrical & instrumentation, mechanical (millwright, machinist, HVAC/R), transportation & heavy mechanical (automotive, heavy duty, truck & transport), marine & aviation.
https://www.bcit.ca
Camosun College
Trades including automotive/mechanical, carpentry, electrical, plumbing/pipe, sheet metal, welding, and multi-trade samplers.
https://www.camosun.ca
Coast Mountain College
Offering carpentry, electrical, welding, heavy equipment operator & related foundation/apprenticeship.
https://coastmountaincollege.ca/programs/study/trades
College of New Caledonia (CNC)
Automotive, heavy mechanical, machinist, millwright, welding, carpentry, electrical, plumbing & more.
https://cnc.bc.ca/programs-courses?areasofstudy
College of the Rockies
Carpentry, electrician, welding, heavy equipment operator, plumbing & related foundations.
https://cotr.bc.ca/trades/
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU)
Trades include appliance servicing, automotive service, carpentry, construction, electrician, masonry, metal fabrication, millwright, parts & warehousing, plumbing, and welding; apprenticeships are available in arboriculture, horticulture, powerline technology, and more.
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT)
Selected trades and pre-trades offerings (check current intakes).
https://www.nvit.ca/
North Island College (NIC)
Carpentry, electrical, heavy mechanical, plumbing, welding & related foundations/apprenticeships.
https://nic.bc.ca/
Northern Lights College (NLC)
Power engineering, welding, carpentry, millwright, electrician, heavy mechanical & more.
https://www.nlc.bc.ca/areas-of-study/trades-apprenticeships/
Okanagan College
Carpentry, electrical, welding, plumbing/pipe, refrigeration & AC, sheet metal, automotive & heavy mechanical, aircraft maintenance structures, and culinary.
https://www.okanagan.bc.ca/trades-and-apprenticeship
Selkirk College
Carpentry, electrical, welding, millwright/machinist, heavy mechanical, metal fabrication & more.
https://selkirk.ca/programs/industry-trades-training
Thompson Rivers University (TRU)
Welding, electrical, plumbing/pipe, instrumentation, carpentry, refrigeration/air conditioning, power engineering, automotive & heavy mechanical.
https://www.tru.ca/trades.html
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV)
Automotive, heavy mechanical, carpentry, electrical, welding, plumbing/pipe, and aircraft structures.
https://www.ufv.ca/trades/
Vancouver Community College (VCC)
Transportation trades (automotive service, collision/refinishing), electrical/electronics, clean energy tech, and other trade areas.
https://www.vcc.ca/programscourses/
Vancouver Island University (VIU)
Carpentry, electrical, welding, automotive & heavy mechanical, refrigeration/air, culinary, hairdressing, and related trades.
https://www.viu.ca/