Full-time Diploma of Technical Studies 2750dipts

A Rewarding Future in the Telecommunications Industry!

The Telecommunications Technician program emphasizes hands-on, practical training with equipment typically encountered in industry.
student in a lab

Telecommunications Technicians install, maintain and repair telecommunications equipment. Through theoretical and practical study, this program will prepare you for a career in this exciting and dynamic industry.

Skills in the telecommunications industry are in high demand. If you like working with computers and data transfer equipment, if you enjoy the challenge of always learning something new, and if you want to be part of a growing industry, the Telecommunications Technician program can open the door to a variety of exciting careers.

Why BCIT?


Great Faculty -
Our instructors are committed to keeping their skills current, and are continuously upgrading their skills through advanced industry training, so that you will be ready to work on the latest equipment.

Excellent Labs - You will work on the latest equipment, studying the theory and practical aspects of telephone, data, RF and fibre optics communications systems gives you job-ready, practical skills.

Fantastic Career Choices - Your BCIT diploma opens the door to an exciting career as a technician – a technical expert who works in a team to solve problems and is relied upon to install, maintain and repair telecommunications equipment.

Degree Completion - With your BCIT diploma and two years of related work experience, you can enter the Bachelor of Technology Management degree program at BCIT. The Bachelor of Technology Management degree is a part-time program, so you can continue working while you further your education.

Program Entry

If you’re interested in a career as a Telecommunications Technician, please review the program details, carefully check the entrance requirements, and then submit your application.

Note:
that to begin this program, you must be a graduate of a provincially-approved Electronics Technician Common Core program.

The Telecommunications Technician program begins each fall in September. A maximum of 16 students are admitted to the program each year. Students are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis so it’s important that you apply early.

Spend-A-Day with Us


Want to learn more about our program before you apply? Come spend-a-day with us. You'll meet students and instructors, and get a hands-on feel for what the program is about.
Find out more »

If you have questions regarding the entrance requirements or the application process, visit Admission & Registration or if you want to discuss the program in more detail, contact the Program Head, Greg_Lambrecht@bcit.ca or 604.453.4089.

Entrance requirements

BCIT Trades Pre-entry Test is acceptable for English and math requirements.

BC provincial exams

Provincial exam marks are required for English 12, Communications 12, and Technical and Professional Communications 12. BCIT does not require provincial exams for Grade 12 Math and Science courses.

Apply to program

Submit an application: online or by mail [PDF].

You can check the status of your application online at any time using the Student Information System.

Scheduled intakes

September each year.

*Scheduled intakes are subject to change

Application processing

Continual intake program with applications processed throughout the year. Applications are wait-listed (first-come, first-served).

myCommunication

Within 2 to 3 weeks of applying to a program, you will be sent a letter in the mail confirming receipt of your application. The letter will identify your student number, BCIT e-mail address and instructions on how to login to your myBCIT account.

All official BCIT correspondence will be sent to your myBCIT account. Check myCommunication often during the application process and throughout your studies at BCIT.

You can expect to receive communication concerning the status of your application within 2 to 8 weeks.

Costs & Supplies

Find out how much you will need to complete your diploma in Telecommunications Technician!


The information below will help you determine the cost of taking the program and assist you in developing a budget for your two years of study. If you have concerns about being able to afford the program, please visit Financial Aid to learn how you may benefit from financial assistance.

Tuition fees

Please see the Fees, Payments and Refunds section of the website for more information on full-time tuition fees.

Books and supplies

$900 (general estimated cost, and subject to change)

Financial assistance

Financial assistance may be available for this program. For more information, please contact Student Financial Aid and Awards.

Courses

Explore the courses and classes you will be taking!


Your hands on learning will take place in three well-equipped labs – the telephony lab, the data lab and the cabling lab. In the telephone lab, you will:
student in a lab
  • Study switch programming and VOIP using Nortel and NEC switches and systems
  • Work in a group of two to four students to program and troubleshoot telephone systems
  • Learn to use specialized tooling for assembling connectors, fusion splicing and testing fibre optic cables
In the data lab, you will have your own workstation to study computer operating systems and data transfer. The lab has its own Ethernet local area network (LAN), a representative wide area network (WAN), CISCO routers for internet routing, and Alcatel bandwidth managers for system performance testing. In the cabling lab, all the latest industry tools used for cable terminations, cable installation and testing cabling systems are available.

Studying and learning in a small class (usually 16 students), you will develop close working relationships and lifelong friendships with your classmates.

Class hours

0800–1500, Monday through Friday

Program matrix

Level 1 (11 weeks) Credits
  TELX 2113 Telephony Essentials 4.0
  TELX 2214 Fibre Optics 4.0
  TELX 2218 Structured Cabling Systems 1 8.0
  TELX 2311 Computer Operating Systems 4.0
  TELX 2411 Multiplexing for Telecommunications 2.0
 
Level 2 (12 weeks) Credits
  TELX 3112 Private Automated Branch Exchange (PABX) Systems 1 4.0
  TELX 3218 Structured Cabling Systems 2 4.0
  TELX 3412 Data Communications 6.0
  TELX 3512 Radio Frequency (RF) Communications Techniques 10.0
 
Level 3 (12 weeks) Credits
  TELX 3612 Customer Relations and Business Practices 4.0
  TELX 4112 Private Automated Branch Exchange (PABX) Systems 2 6.0
  TELX 4114 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Principles 4.0
  TELX 4436 Advanced Routing 4.0
  TELX 4438 Wide Area Networking 6.0
 
Total Credits: 70.0

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 Details

Students in the Telecommunications Technician program learn the theory, standards, measurement instruments, test
student in a lab
equipment and standard practices of the telecommunications industry. As a student in the program you will learn to:
  • Install, program, configure, maintain and repair telephone switches and systems
  • Install, administer, maintain and diagnose faults in data transmission systems
  • Install, test and repair fibre optic and high-speed local area network (LAN) cables Maintain, evaluate the performance of, and troubleshoot radio frequency (RF) communication systems
  • Use industry standard tools and test equipment
  • Understand digital cellular communication systems
  • Communicate effectively with customers

Program length

35 weeks, full-time

Grading

The student must maintain a minimum of 70% overall average in the theory portion and a minimum of 70% overall average in the laboratory portion of each level in order to proceed to the next level.

Program location

Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, BC

Graduating & Jobs

Explore the exceptional career opportunities as a Telecommunications Technician!


What's in it for you?


A rewarding job as a Technician

Your BCIT diploma opens the door to an exciting career as a technician – a technical expert who works in a team to solve problems and is relied upon to install, maintain and repair electronic equipment.

An edge in the job market

A BCIT diploma shows potential employers that you are accomplished, focused, and serious about your chosen career path. The Telecommunications Technician program enjoys strong support with local industry. Telecom companies know that grads of the BCIT program have both theoretical knowledge and up-to-date practical skills, and that you can start contributing right away. Both graduates and employers say that BCIT was extremely helpful in preparing them for their work.

A great future awaits you when you complete your education and training as a Telecommunications Technician. You will have a real edge in the job market working for a broad range of excellent employers.

An edge in the job market


The job market for telecommunication technicians is strong. As a graduate of the Telecommunications Technician program, you will have opportunities with large and small companies in a variety of roles. While most graduates start out in a very technical role, there are many opportunities to move into technical sales or managerial roles. With a few years of work experience under your belt, you may be ready to start your own business.

Some of the many employers of BCIT Telecommunications Technician graduates include:

Graduate employment outcomes

The following link takes you to graduate outcome survey results containing mostly labour market results from the 2010-2012 BCIT Outcomes Surveys of 2009-2011 Graduates.
Note: The survey results will be displayed in a separate browser window. To view these results, you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your Web browser.

Faculty, Advisors & Staff

A team of committed educators, staff and industry advisors work hard to help make students successful in their Telecommunications Technician program.
instructor and student

Jim Boulter – Instructor, Telecommunications Technician Program says:

"I am grateful that I can give back something to an industry which has provided me with so much satisfaction over the years. I received my initial training at BCIT, and now I am helping the future leaders in this technology."

Faculty and Staff

  • Greg Lambrecht, Chief Instructor
  • Jim Boulter, Instructor
  • Mike Osmak, BSc, Instructor
  • Jill Simmons, Administrative Assistant
  • Terry Knudson, MBA, B.Ed., DipT., C.Q., Associate Dean
  • Trevor Williams, BSc, MSc (Mech Eng), PEng, Dean, School of Energy

Advisory committee

  • Phil Adams, Plan Group
  • Jeff Brown, MTS Allstream
  • Cesar Gonzalez, TELUS Communications
  • Doug Halkett, NATG
  • Jason Krause, a2b Fiber Inc.
  • Jeff Lewis, 4th Utility
  • Al MacTaggart, Telus Mobility
  • Len Matusiak, Delphi Solutions
  • Janice Sigfusson, NEC Canada, Inc.
  • Dietmar Ubershar, SSC-RCMP  E Divsion
  • Elaine Wilson, Panduit
  • Ralph Wright, Cisco Systems Canada Co.
  • Doug Zoehner, Algo Communication Products Ltd

Contact Us

Spend-A-Day with Us


Want to learn more about our program before you apply? Come spend-a-day with us. You'll meet students and instructors, and get a hands-on feel for what the program is about.
Find out more »

If you want to discuss the program in more detail, contact the Program Head, Greg_Lambrecht@bcit.ca or 604.453.4089.

Questions or comments?

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Testimonial

“BCIT taught me how to learn the technical material so that I can continue to advance my knowledge.”

Chris Webb, a 2003 graduate of BCIT’s Telecommunications Technician program, had a pretty good idea of where she was headed when she began her studies. She was working as a dispatcher for Navigata Communications, a telecommunications company based in North Vancouver.

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Testimonial

Marco's job is challenging, fast-paced, and involves multi-tasking

He chose BCIT because of its reputation for quality programs, and because he wanted to be ready to start his career in just two years. Marco decided that the Telecommunications Technician program would help him enter a growing industry with potential for lifelong employment. 

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Testimonial

Greg Lambrecht, helping students achieve their goals

"For me, the best part of my job is running into graduated students. I feel proud to see that the students are doing well in their field of study, and knowing that I have helped them to achieve their goals." 

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