Refrigeration

Pathways

There are two ways of beginning your new career as a refrigeration mechanic apprentice:

1. Take our Refrigeration Mechanic Foundation program. By working through a series of practical projects and assignments and theory assignments you'll build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to make you more employable in an entry-level position. By successfully completing the program, you will also receive credit for the in-school portion of Level 1 of our Refrigeration Apprenticeship training.
2. Find employment under a refrigeration mechanic who will register you with SkilledTradesBC. In this option, you are indentured to a company as an apprentice refrigeration mechanic, learning basic skills while you are employed. The advantage here is that you earn while you learn.

Entrance requirements

You must be an active apprentice registered with SkilledTradesBC to register for apprenticeship training at BCIT.

Recommended for success

Grade 10 education or equivalent*, including:

• English 10 or English language proficiency
• Any Math 10
• Science 10

*High school graduation is preferred.

Apprentices with medical or physical difficulties should contact Accessibility Services to arrange an interview with the Institute’s rehabilitation specialist.

International applicants

BCIT welcomes apprentice training requests from Canadian citizens and permanent residents only. View programs that accept international students

Scheduled Intakes

Multiple start dates each year.

Please refer to the Apprenticeship Training Schedule for availability of upcoming intakes.

Register for Apprentice Training

To register for apprentice training:

1. Consult the training schedule to find a date that is suitable to both you and your employer.
2. Create your BCIT ID if you don’t already have one.
3. Register by phone or email.
4. Pay the $200 commitment fee.

Disclosure of personal information & privacy notice

BCIT Apprentice Services reserves the right to communicate with SkilledTradesBC and your active employer sponsor about your registration, progress, and related academic information. BCIT also shares apprentice registration information with Work BC. If you have questions about the protection of your personal information, you may contact the BCIT Information Access and Privacy Office.

View our full Admissions and Registration Privacy Notice

myCommunication

Within two business days of submitting your apprentice training request, BCIT will send a message to your personal and myBCIT e-mail addresses. All correspondence regarding your training request will be posted to your online myCommunication account at my.bcit.ca. We'll send you an e-mail when a new message is posted. It's important to watch for these e-mails or regularly check your account online.

You can expect to receive communication concerning the status of your training request within four weeks.

Tuition fees

Use our tuition estimator to find tuition and fees for this program.

For more information on tuition and fees, visit Apprenticeship Training Tuition & Fees.

Books & supplies

Apprentices are expected to bring their CSA-approved steel-toed boots and eye protection. There is an approved book list for the Refrigeration Mechanic Apprenticeship. The books for the first level of technical training are available at the BCIT Bookstore on the Burnaby campus.

Students are required to supply their own coveralls. A supply of coveralls are available through the BCIT Bookstore. Please check the uniform authorization voucher [PDF] to determine the type of coveralls required for your program.

Financial assistance

Income support for apprentices is provided by Human Resource Development Canada (HRDC) through regular Employment Insurance (EI) eligibility. For questions regarding Employment Insurance or Personal Support Payments, please visit the income support overview for current BCIT apprentices.

Class hours

0700-1400, Monday through Friday

Please refer to the Apprenticeship Training Schedule for class hours and availability of upcoming intakes.

Program matrix

Transfer credit

Do you have credits from another BC/Yukon post-secondary school? Do you want to know if they transfer to courses here at BCIT? Check out BCIT's Transfer Equivalency Database to find out.

Program length

BCIT offers all four levels of technical training for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics apprenticeship. Level one is six weeks or 180 hours; level two is seven weeks or 210 hours; levels three and four are 10 weeks or 300 hours each. The total amount of in-school, technical training for a Refrigeration Mechanic is 990 hours.

Grading

Program delivery

In person: This program is delivered on campus.

Program location

Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, BC

Graduate employment outcomes

The BCIT student outcomes report presents summary findings from the annual survey of former students administered by BC Stats one to two years after graduation. These reports combine the last three years of available results for the 2021-2023 BCIT Outcomes Surveys of 2020-2022 graduates and for Degree 2019-2021 graduates. The reports are organized into three-page summaries containing information on graduates’ labour market experiences and opinions regarding their education. More detailed information can be accessed at the BC Student Outcomes website.

To view these results, you may need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your Web browser.

• Refrigeration

Credential

BCIT offers a Diploma of Trades Training for apprentices who have successfully completed their technical training at BCIT and have been granted a British Columbia Trades Qualification (IP/TQ). In trades where there is no requirement to complete a Trades Qualification (TQ), a Certificate of Apprenticeship is acceptable. Please see the BCIT apprenticeship training section of the website for more information.

BCIT Apprentice Services

For more information on this or other apprenticeship programs, tuition fees and when programs are offered, please contact BCIT Apprentice Services at:

Office Location:	Building SW1, First Floor Burnaby campus
Phone:	604-456-8100 1-800-667-0676 (BC)
Fax:	604-435-1197
On the web:	bcit.ca/apprenticeship

BCIT Apprentice Services can assist apprentices with their registration, tuition fee payments, and other details.

Anyone interested in registering as an apprentice can contact SkilledTradesBC at 778-328-8700 or 1-866-660-6011 (BC). BCIT's Apprentice Services can also assist individuals interested in entering apprentice training.