Overview
Delivery Mode: BLENDED
- This program will be delivered during COVID-19 as a combination of online and on-campus learning.
- Faculty will notify students of when their attendance on campus will be required.
- We are putting measures in place for your safety and well-being, ensuring that all safety protocols are addressed. Please see BCIT COVID-19 Return to Operations for details on the mandatory procedures that have been implemented.
- Your education is our priority and we will continue to deliver the applied instruction, collaborative experience, and industry connections that you expect from BCIT.
Automotive refinishing technicians paint and refinish automobiles, trucks, and buses either for a collision-restoration or a custom-design paint job. They are involved in calculating the amount of paint required for a job, mixing paint to exactly match existing colours, and blending paint to its correct thickness. Colour matching and fine-finishing detail skills are an asset in this creative trade.
Meet one of our grads
The program
This 26-week training is designed to prepare you to become proficient as an automotive refinishing technician. It will provide you with the theoretical understanding and practical skills needed to use a spray gun to apply both the primer and final coats of paint and maintain records of materials used in accordance with Federal, Provincial, and Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Regulations.
Upon successful completion of this program, you will receive full credit for technical training requirements in the provincial Automotive Refinishing Prep Technician and Automotive Painter (Automotive Refinishing Technician) program. You will also earn 450 hours credit towards your time service requirement. However, you must apply with the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to write the provincial exam for your Certificate of Qualification for the Automotive Refinishing Prep Technician and the inter-provincial (Red Seal) exam for Automotive Painter (Automotive Refinishing Technician). Please visit the ITA website for more information.
Entrance Requirements
COVID-19 Notice to Applicants
Application processing
Applications are accepted throughout the year.
Entrance requirements
Applicants must meet all entrance requirements and will be accepted on a first qualified basis as long as space remains. When available intakes are full, qualified applicants are wait-listed.
Applicants must meet all entrance requirements prior to applying to this program. If you are uncertain or don’t meet the requirements we strongly recommend you complete any applicable Trades Entry Assessments before applying.
- English: two years of education in English in an English-speaking country with one of the following:
- English Studies 12 (50%) or
- English First Peoples 12 (50%) or
- Other acceptable BC and Yukon courses or
- 3.0 credits of post-secondary English, humanities or social sciences (50%) from a recognized institution or
- BCIT English Trades Entry Assessment (for applicants who have two years of education in an English-speaking country only)
What if I don’t meet these English requirements? - Math: one of the following:
- Foundations of Math and Pre-calculus 10 (50%) or
- Workplace Math 10 (50%) or
- Other acceptable BC and Yukon courses or
- BCIT Math Trades Entry Assessment
Recommended for success
A driver’s licence is not required to enter the program. However, it is strongly recommended in order to move vehicles in and out of the shops.
Potential students with medical or physical disabilities should contact Accessibility Services to arrange an interview with the institute's rehabilitation specialist at 604-451-6963 (telephone interview is acceptable for out of town applicants).
Trades Discovery
The Trades Discovery General and Trades Discovery for Women are full-time programs
designed to prepare participants to successfully enter and complete a Trades Training program.
International applicants
This program is not available to international students. View available programs
Apply to program
To submit your application:
- Include proof of meeting all entrance requirements.
- Convert all transcripts and supporting documents to PDF files.
- Have a credit card ready to pay the application fee.
Apply Now
Scheduled Intakes
September each year.
*Scheduled intakes are subject to change
myCommunication
Within two business days of submitting your completed application, BCIT will send a message to your personal and myBCIT e-mail addresses. All correspondence regarding your application 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 application within four weeks.
Costs & Supplies
Tuition fees
Please see the Full-Time Studies Tuition & Fees page for full-time tuition fees.
Books & supplies
$650 (general estimated cost, subject to change)
CSA approved safety glasses and footwear required. Footwear must be steel-toed, leather, ankle covering boots.
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
Financial assistance may be available for this program. For more information, please contact Student Financial Aid and Awards.
Courses
Class hours
0630–1430, Monday through Thursday
Program matrix
| Level 1: | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| APNT 1300 | Collision Facility Operations | 2.0 | |
| APNT 1301 | Safety | 2.0 | |
| APNT 1302 | Environmental Concerns | 1.0 | |
| APNT 1303 | Refinishing Tools and Equipment | 4.0 | |
| APNT 1304 | Removal and Installation | 4.0 | |
| APNT 1305 | Solvents | 1.0 | |
| APNT 1306 | Surface Preparation | 8.0 | |
| APNT 1307 | Masking Procedures | 2.0 | |
| APNT 1308 | Corrosion Protection Systems | 2.0 | |
| APNT 1309 | Undercoats | 4.0 | |
| APNT 1310 | Chemical Additives | 1.0 | |
| APNT 1313 | Paint Defects | 1.0 | |
| APNT 1314 | Topcoats | 4.0 | |
| APNT 1316 | Automotive Plastics | 2.0 | |
| APNT 1317 | Selected Repairs 1 | 4.0 | |
| APNT 1318 | Detailing | 2.0 | |
| Level 2: | Credits | ||
| APNT 2300 | Colour Theory | 2.0 | |
| APNT 2301 | Multi Stage Applications | 2.0 | |
| APNT 2302 | Technological Trends | 2.0 | |
| APNT 2303 | Selected Repairs 2 | 2.0 | |
| Total Credits: | 52.0 | ||
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
Program length
26 weeks, full-timeGrading
The passing grade in each course is 70%. All courses must be passed in order to successfully complete the program.
Program location
Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, BC
Graduating & Jobs
Job opportunities
Auto body refinishing personnel are currently in short supply in British Columbia and graduates of the program have an excellent chance of finding employment. The major employers of auto body personnel are dealerships, privately-owned service shops and franchised auto collision shops.
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 2018-2020 BCIT Outcomes Surveys of 2017-2019 graduates and for Degree 2015-2017 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.
Contact Us
Randy Sandhu
Chief Instructor
Auto Collision Repair and Refinishing programs
Telephone: 604-456-1044
Email: Randy_Sandhu@bcit.ca
Questions or comments?
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