Program Length
- 8 Months
Credential
- Certificate
Options
- Apprenticeship
Location Offered
- Cowichan
- Nanaimo
- tiwšɛmawtxʷ (Powell River)
Build a career in carpentry
Looking for a trades career with flexibility? In VIU's Carpentry program you get live job site training as well as classroom and shop time. And VIU is one of only two schools in BC to offer live job site training. This active training means you’re well prepared for working in the field when you graduate.
Why choose VIU for carpentry training
We work with local builders to ensure you get the carpentry courses British Columbia employers want you to have. VIU's carpentry training program sets you up for career success over the long term. Building codes are always changing, and we make sure you gain the skills you need to build to code for years to come.
Sign up to learn more
Gain hands-on carpentry skills on a live job site
In the VIU Carpentry Foundation program you spend half of your time working on a live job site, building a house in partnership with a developer. From day one, you learn to build to a professional standard. This hands-on experience means you finish the program ready for real-world challenges.
Hands-on training
Live job site training
Build a house in the community and learn what it means to be a professional builder.
Work experience
Your two-week work experience placement can lead to job offers and industry connections.
Latest materials
Work with cutting-edge materials and techniques and prepare you for future trends in the industry.
Why become a carpenter in BC?
A career in carpentry means you've got options. You train to do a wide range of jobs within the trade. And you learn many transferable skills. Carpentry also has a lot of self-employment opportunities.
- contractor
- finishing carpenter
- framer
- formwork carpenter
- siding specialist
- concrete worker
Unexpected career paths include roles in:
- insurance
- energy efficiency
- sales
- building warranty inspection
- project management
- supervisory positions
About the Carpentry Foundation program
The Carpentry Foundation Certificate provides training in the basic skills required to work as carpenter's apprentice.
You learn about residential house building, commercial building and industrial building. You gain on-the-job experience building a house in the community and you learn theory in the classroom.
You will receive letter grades for your work throughout the program, and you can expect to do one to two hours of homework per day.
When you complete the program, you receive a certificate from VIU for Level 1 Carpentry Apprenticeship.
Courses and Concentrations
| Carpentry | Credits |
|---|---|
| CPTY 111T - (Occupational Skills, Documentation, Tools, and Safety) | 8.5 |
| CPTY 113T - (Surveying, Layout, and Concrete) | 4.5 |
| CPTY 115T - (Framing and Building Science) | 4.5 |
| CPTY 109T - (Work Experience) | 1.5 |
Total Credits | 19.0 |
| Essential Skills | Credits |
|---|---|
| ESFC 100T - (Personal Management Skills) | 2.0 |
| ESFC 105T - (Trades Math) | 1.0 |
| ESFC 110T - (Business Operations) | 0.5 |
| ESFC 115T - (The Emerging Workplace) | 0.5 |
| ESFC 120T - (Employment Strategies) | 1.0 |
Total Credits | 5.0 |
All program courses must be successfully completed before certificates will be issued.
Admission Information
- Grade 12, or equivalent, or mature student status.
- Minimum 17 years of age.
- Successful completion of assessment testing.
- Personal profile.
- Interview may be required.
- See also Trades general admission requirements.
Notes on Admission
- Physically fit and able to adapt to working conditions.
- Good hand/eye coordination.
- Good health, free of vision, hearing or respiratory ailments.
- For student’s wishing to operate vehicles and equipment a valid driver’s license will be required.
- Enrolment in this program is limited. Students who meet or exceed the minimum admission requirements may not necessarily be admitted to the program.
Domestic Fees
Tuition and Other Mandatory Student Fees
When applying to the program, applicants will be charged a non-refundable application fee.
When applying to graduate, students will be charged a non-refundable graduation and alumni fee.
Some courses have additional fees to pay for extraordinary class–related expenses.
| Fees - Nanaimo Campus | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition (8 months x $509.18 per month) | 4,073.44 |
| Supply fee | 487.59 |
| Student Activity fee (8 months x $20.37 per month) | 162.96 |
| Student Services fee (8 months x $22.49 per month) | 179.92 |
| VIU Students' Union fee (8 months x $38.87 per month) | 310.96 |
| Health and Dental Plan fee ($285.00 per year) | 285.00 |
| Books and supplies (approximate cost) | 1,300.00 |
| Total | 6,799.87 |
* Students are responsible for transportation costs to job site.
The VIUSU Health and Dental Plan fee is assessed for all students enrolled in 6 credits or more per term, or in Trades/Vocational programs of 5 months or longer.
All fees are subject to change without prior notice and are expected to increase by 2% each year on April 1.
Domestic (Canadian)
| Program Start Date | Accepting Applications | Campus | Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ongoing | tiwšɛmawtxʷ (Powell River) | ||
|
Anticipated intake for someone applying today:
Next Intake(s):
The Carpentry - Foundation Level 1 program has one intake each Fall.
Information Session:
Carpentry information session
Application Fee:
$46.06
Accepting Late Applications:
Yes
Waitlist:
Yes
Testing Required:
Yes
Admissions Officer:
Name: Erin Johnson Phone: 604.485.2878 ext. 8033 Email: erin.johnson@viu.ca
Comments:
All students are required to complete Carpentry assessment testing. Build the foundation for your career in the carpentry industry with Vancouver Island University’s Carpentry Foundation Program. VIU’s eight-month program is for anyone who wants a career that combines physical and mental work and the rewarding feeling that comes with building things. See Powell River Carpentry Foundation Level 1 for more information. If you are interested in starting in Fall 2023 please apply to VIU and contact PRCampus@viu.ca. |
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| Ongoing | Cowichan | September 2025 full | |
|
Anticipated intake for someone applying today:
Next Intake(s):
The Carpentry Certificate program at the Cowichan campus has one intake each Fall. September 2025 intake is full
Information Session:
Carpentry information session
Application Fee:
46.06
Waitlist:
Yes
Admissions Officer:
Name: Shirley McGregor Phone: 250.746.3512 Email: Shirley.McGregor@viu.ca
Chair Contact:
Name: Joe Blain Phone: 250.740.3245 Email: Joe.Blain@viu.ca |
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| Ongoing | Nanaimo | September 2, 2025 (FULL); January 5, 2026 | |
|
Anticipated intake for someone applying today:
Next Intake(s):
This program is offered in September and January each year.
Application Fee:
$46.06
Waitlist:
Yes
Testing Required:
Yes
Admissions Officer:
Name: Alana Gaetz Phone: 250.740.6400 Email: alana.gaetz@viu.ca
Chair Contact:
Name: Joe Blain Email: Joe.Blain@viu.ca
Document Deadline:
Applicants are added to the waitlist once all requested documents have been received.
Comments:
Vancouver Island University’s Faculty of Trades and Applied Technology is asking applicants to complete the assessment test as a self-assessment. This arrangement will be in place until such time as we are again able to offer it on campus or in a secure alternate delivery format.
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Further your carpentry career with an apprenticeship
Once you've completed the foundation certificate, you can continue the technical apprenticeship training at VIU to earn a Red Seal endorsement. Red Seal endorsement sets you up to work anywhere in Canada and many other countries.
Frequently asked questions
You can work on a construction site as a labourer without taking a foundation program. But you make less money, and you can get stuck doing the same tasks for years. When you’re a paid labourer, nobody on that job site is there to teach you. You’re often expected to figure things out for yourself. And you can get labelled as a bad worker when you don’t know how to do something you haven’t been trained to do.
With the VIU foundation program you get jobsite experience combined with dedicated instruction. So you gain those skills that make you stand out as an exceptional worker. You start work at a higher rate of pay, and you get to do more interesting parts of the job sooner.
We recommend you wait to purchase any items until after a lecture and demonstration in the beginning of the program.
Tools and safety equipment are required, including
- hardhat
- steel-toed boots
- safety glasses
- rain gear
- carpenter's apron
- hammer (20-22 oz.)
- 25-foot measuring tape
- combination square/ speed square
- chalk line
- utility knife
- nail puller
About 90 to 100% of those who want to continue working in the trade and are willing to promote themselves find work in carpentry.
VIU Carpentry graduates are known to have a professional attitude, a higher level of safety awareness and good skills. They are well-informed and understand how to be successful in the building industry.
From September to when we start full-time house construction in mid-November, you can expect approximately two to three hours of homework a night.
Then while working full days out on the student house project, you can expect a half hour of homework a night.
When we are back in the classroom full time, learning about the next phase of construction, you can expect approximately one to two hours of homework a night.
A major homework assignment for the program is a complete set of house drawings, designed by each student with enough information to apply for a building permit.
Try out a carpentry class
Wondering what it’s really like to be in a VIU classroom? Shadow a carpentry class. You'll meet instructors and current students, and you can get a feel for the program before you apply.
Email the program chair to sign up for a class shadow.