Power Engineering – Distance and Online Learning

POWER ENGINEERING ONLINE LEARNING

BCIT offers Power Engineering Certification courses at all levels, including Refrigeration Plant Operator and 5^th up to 1^st Class. Designed for those in industrial power plants, building systems, and oil and gas, these courses provide the theoretical training needed to challenge Interprovincial Power Engineering exams for those with relevant industry experience.

In addition, we offer a 4th Class Power Lab once a year for candidates who cannot obtain qualifying time in industry. There is a limited number of seats available for the course and entry is competitive. Please read our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Our courses offer several benefits:

• Accepted by regulatory agencies such as Technical Safety BC
• Quizzes and assignments are based on the syllabi of the interprovincial certification examinations
• Personalized help from experienced instructors via email, telephone, or in-person assistance (by appointment).
• Successful completion of the courses may grant students a reduction of months as qualifying time towards satisfying certification requirements.

Method of Instruction

These courses are self-guided, theoretical training only.  Students are expected to study the course material (purchased separately) on their own to complete a series of online quizzes or assignments within a fixed completion deadline.

This format may not be suitable for everyone, as there are no online virtual classes, videos, or set weekly schedules. The courses are not instructor-led. You will complete the quizzes on your own, but assistance from our Power Engineering tutors is available via email, phone, and online conferencing during office hours. Final exam is completed either in-person at our office or with an approved proctoring service within Canada.

Burnaby Campus Resource Area

Distance education students may book appointments to the Power Engineering Resource Centre to access all the resources available. These resources include assistance from the tutorial instructors, as well as an extensive library of books, videos and other instructional media. Students can book an appointment to attend.

Prerequisites

Those who wish to enroll in programs are required to have a minimum of Grade 12 English and Grade 11 Math to complete these courses. For more information on upgrading courses: Entrance requirements/Upgrading

You must also satisfy all of the Technical Safety BC requirements for practical qualifying experience relative to the certificate for which you are a candidate, for example, 3^rd, 2^nd, and 1^st Class applicants must possess the next lower Interprovincial Power Engineers’ Certificate.

International Students

These POWR courses are available to international students who will complete the courses from outside Canada or who currently have a valid status in Canada other than a study permit. International students are not eligible for a study permit.

• You may have to provide proof of minimum prerequisites to be approved to register.
• Final course exam is to be completed with an approved invigilation centre in Canada.

Program Length

The allowable time for completion of the course in which you register starts from the date of registration. You may otherwise be required to pay additional fees to continue. To avoid this, students should be prepared to commence your studies immediately upon registration.

Students who dedicate a minimum of 15 hours per week can expect to complete the requirements in an accelerated time.

Class	Completion	Accelerated
5th Class	12 months	4 months
Refrigeration Plant Operator	12 months	4 months
4th Class – Part A and B	6 months each (x2)	8 months
3rd Class – Part A and B	6 months each (x4)	12 months
2nd Class – Part A and B	12 months each (x6)	16 months
1st Class – Part A and B	12 months (x8)	20 months

Registration

Program intake is continuous throughout the year. Upon approval, student registrations are processed on a weekly basis.

Because these are specialized courses, students must email the Power Engineering Program Assistant for further details and approval to ensure you are registering into the correct level or program. Once approved, you will receive a registration form and instructions to continue.

• 4th Class Part A and B. Complete Part A prior to approval of Part B
• 3rd Class is split into four courses. Part A 1 and 2, Part B 1 and 2. Students are required to have 4^th Class certification to be approved for registration. Upon successful completion of 3^rd Class Part, A, students may be approved to continue with 3^rd Class Part B.
• 2^nd and 1^st Class course registration requires the lower-class certification. Students can register for a maximum two courses at once. Alternately, you may register for any course for which you possess the specified prerequisites. This may be desirable for those who have previously completed some papers of the certification examinations.

Sponsored Students

Sponsorship is when a company or agency has agreed to be invoiced for your tuition.

If you are a BCIT Flexible Learning student who is being sponsored by a company or agency, please email powerengineering@bcit.ca and request the “Sponsorship registration package” for approval to register.

Cost and Supplies

Program tuition fees are paid independently of the course materials. Tuition fees are approximately $200 – $700 per course (depending on the program level).

Course textbooks and related study materials are purchased directly from the BCIT Bookstore. Approximate costs for books range from $300 – $1,600 (depending on the program level).

Power Engineering Certification Examinations

To qualify to write the Interprovincial Power Engineering Certification examinations, a candidate must have a specified number of months of practical qualifying experience as outlined in the British Columbia “Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Safety Regulation.”

As stated in the Regulations, if an applicant has successfully completed the correlating power engineering courses that have been approved by a provincial safety manager, candidates may be entitled to a reduction in qualifying time as follows:

• 3rd Class – 6 months
• 2nd Class – 9 months
• 1st Class – 12 months

To be eligible for the qualifying time reduction, you must successfully complete every course of the appropriate study program and all its requirements. Course exemption may not be awarded based upon your previous completion of the related Interprovincial examination(s). For further details, refer to Technical Safety BC

TUITION FEE SCHEDULE

Fees are subject to change without notice.
Please click on the links below to get the course information and associated fees for each course.

POWR 1210 5th Class – ONLINE

POWR 1211 Refrigeration Plant Operator ONLINE

4^th Class: ONLINE

POWR 1300 4th Class – Part “A”

POWR 1310 4th Class – Part “B”

POWR 0250 4^th Class Power Lab – In-Person

3^rd Class: ONLINE

POWR 1215 3rd Class – Part “A” – Paper 1

POWR 1216 3rd Class – Part “A” – Paper 2

POWR 1217 3rd Class – Part “B” – Paper 1

POWR 1218 3rd Class – Part “B” – Paper 2

2^nd Class: CORRESPONDENCE

POWR 1219 2nd Class – Part “A” – Paper 1

POWR 1220 2nd Class – Part “A” – Paper 2

POWR 1221 2nd Class – Part “A” – Paper 3

POWR 1222 2nd Class – Part “B” – Paper 1

POWR 1223 2nd Class – Part “B” – Paper 2

POWR 1224 2nd Class – Part “B” – Paper 3

1^ST Class: CORRESPONDENCE

POWR 1225 1st Class – Part “A” – Paper 1

POWR 1226 1st Class – Part “A” – Paper 2

POWR 1227 1st Class – Part “A” – Paper 3

POWR 1228 1st Class – Part “A” – Paper 4

POWR 1229 1st Class – Part “B” – Paper 1

POWR 1230 1st Class – Part “B” – Paper 2

POWR 1231 1st Class – Part “B” – Paper 3

POWR 1232 1st Class – Part “B” – Paper 4