Auto Body and Collision Technician Foundation

Collision Repair students learn hands-on skills in the shop

Program at a glance

Credential

Certificate Certificates are short programs focused on specific skills or subjects. They are a fast and flexible way to start a new career, upgrade your qualifications or gain professional recognition.

Delivery mode

On-campus
(day)
On-campus (day)

Time commitment

Full-Time You take a regular course load and move through the program at the standard pace. Expect to study most weekdays.

Duration

1 year

Program codes

  • Code: CLSN

Cost

$5,882 total program cost Domestic students: $5,882 total program cost

Location

  • Kelowna Full program offered in Kelowna

Available for

  • Domestic students

Program features

TBD

Program overview

About the program

Take our foundation program to learn state-of-the-art skills in automotive repair and restoration, and receive credit for Level 1 apprenticeship technical training for both Auto Body and Collision Technician and Automotive Refinishing Technician (Automotive Painter). Students will participate in a 2-week work placement that will introduce students to real workplace environments, as well as provide perspectives to industry standards and expectations.

Make yourself indispensable! This program opens the door to two different career pathways. Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive credit for their Level 1 apprenticeship technical training for both Auto Body and Collision Technician and Automotive Refinishing Technician (Automotive Painter). With this achievement, students are able to pursue certification as a Red Seal Auto Body and Collision Technician and/ or a Red Seal Automotive Refinishing Technician (Automotive Painter).

In addition, to provide our students with a complete learning experience, this program includes a two week work-term where students work alongside apprentices and Red Seal technicians in an industry shop. This experience orients students to an actual work situation and will help them determine the type of shop environment in which they would like to pursue a career.

Textbooks

The current total cost of the textbooks is approx. $240 (digital version is available for $80).

5% GST is not included in price. Price is subject to change.

Textbooks available online only at the OC Campus Store.

The booklists on OC Campus Store website will be updated 3 times a year (January, April and mid-August).
Please check back with the Campus Store 2 weeks before your program starts under Current Book List for a final, updated list of book titles and prices, and to order!

If you have any questions regarding the booklist, please call OC Campus Store, 250-862-5638 or email campusstores@okanagan.bc.ca.

It takes approximately two to three business days to fill the online orders, please be sure to purchase the necessary items prior to the 1st day of class.


Required supplies
  • A Windows 11, 10 or 8 laptop or Chromebook (OS 88 or higher) with camera capable of loading Respondus Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitor for assessments
  • Coveralls
  • CSA-approved steel-toed work boots
  • 3-ring binder
  • Pencils, pens, eraser, paper
  • Box of fine Sharpie black markers
  • Lock for locker

The College will supply eye and hearing protection as well as tools.
 

Applicants who have not satisfied the Math admission requirement within the last seven years, and/or do not meet the English admission requirement, must write the TEA Math and/or English test. Both of the assessments are online, multiple-choice and timed. Applicants are allotted 1 hour to complete each section (2 hours for both). A practice assessment and study resources are offered to all applicants who register to write the TEA.  Calculators are not allowed while completing the Math section; applicants who are observed to use a calculator of any sort, will receive a grade of zero.  Applicants who do not achieve the minimum passing requirement on their initial attempt, are offered a second attempt, at no additional cost, after a two-week study period.

Please ensure you write the assessment, and any required re-writes, prior to the deadline for admissions requirements, provided by the Registrar’s office. For more information or to register for the Trades Entrance Assessment, click here. Further questions can be directed to the Trades and Apprenticeship office at trades@okanagan.bc.ca.

Please note: Applicants who successfully completed the ABLE test at Okanagan College, within the two years prior to application for admission shall have their results accepted as equivalent to the Trades Entrance Assessment. 

The textbook list above was current at the time it was posted and may be used for initial planning purposes. Please check back with the bookstore 2 weeks before your program starts under Current Book List for a final, updated list of book titles and prices, and to order!

Textbooks available online only at OC Campus Store. If you have any questions, call 250-862-5638 or email campusstores@okanagan.bc.ca.

It takes approximately two to three business days to fill the online orders, please be sure to purchase the necessary items prior to the 1st day of class.

If you have any questions about how a course or program is delivered, you can check the Trades website, email the Department Chair or email the Trades & Apprenticeship office:

Apprenticeship: apprenticeship@okanagan.bc.ca
Foundation and General Interest: trades@okanagan.bc.ca

This 36-week (1080 hour) program has been designed to take a student with little or no previous experience in the automotive collision repair trades and supply them with the necessary skills to seek employment in this industry as an apprentice. Courses in this program follow the Industry training authority's automotive Collision and Refinishing common core level 1 and will introduce students to the many aspects of the automotive collision repair trades with a focus on developing practical skills.

Graduates of this program will receive SkilledTradesBC credit for Automotive Collision and Refinishing common core level 1 technical training and will also receive 625 work-based hours towards either their Automotive Collision Repair apprenticeship or 450 hours toward their Automotive refinishing apprenticeship.

Admission and program requirements

  • B.C. secondary school graduation, or equivalent, or 19 years of age and out of secondary school for at least one year as of the first day of classes.
  • English 10 with minimum 50% or alternatives.
  • Math requirement:
    • A minimum of 50% in any of:
      • Mathematics 10
      • Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 10
      • Workplace Mathematics 10
      • Foundations of Mathematics and Pre-Calculus 10
      • Adult Basic Education MATH 071 and MATH 072
      • TEA Mathematics Test - scores are only good for two (2) years.
        • Applicants who have not satisfied the Math requirement within the last seven (7) years must write the Trades Entrance Assessment (TEA) Mathematics test and must receive a minimum of 50%.
Start/End dates
Location
Delivery mode
Application status
Sep. 08, 2026 - Jun. 11, 2027
Kelowna
(Kelowna Trades Complex)
On-campus
(Day)
Open
Note: Intake capacity is limited to 16 seats

Tuition and fees

Program details

CLSN 101 - Safety in the Collision Repair Industry
CLSN 102 - Documentation and Communication in the Workplace
CLSN 103 - Tools and Equipment
CLSN 104 - Vehicle Construction and Components
CLSN 105 - Prepare Surfaces
CLSN 106 - Welding and Heating Equipment
CLSN 107 - Sheet Metal Repair
CLSN 108 - Plastic and Composites
CLSN 109 - Repair Materials, Refinishing Coatings and Equipment
CLSN 110 - Panel Replacement
CLSN 111 - Mechanical
CLSN 112 - Pre-Delivery
CLSN 113 - Preparation for Employment
CLSN 114 - Automotive Collision and Refinishing Level 1 Exam
CLSN 115 - Industry Work Term

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