Confirm with the certifying body that your intended program qualifies you for this certification.

To work as an architect B.C., you must register with the Architectural Institute of B.C. Eligibility is achieved through completion of an accredited professional degree in architecture and the Internship in Architecture Program.

Employment as an architect requires completion of a three-year internship.

To work as an architect in B.C., you may choose to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification. Eligibility is achieved through signing up with the Canada Green Building Council.

Employment as an architect requires completion of a three-year internship.

Architects

To work as an urban and land use planner in B.C., you may choose to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification. Eligibility is achieved through signing up with the Canada Green Building Council.

Confirm with the certifying body that your intended program qualifies you for this certification.

To work as a professional planner in B.C., you must register with the Planning Institute of British Columbia. Eligibility is achieved through completion of a degree from an accredited planning school, 2 years of practical work experience, 1 year of professional mentorship, and successful completion of a professional examination and ethics course.

Urban and land use planners

Confirm with the certifying body that your intended program qualifies you for this certification.

This career is eligible for Red Seal endorsement. When all levels of your trades training are complete, you can write an Interprovincial Red Seal exam. A successful result demonstrates you have met the national standard for your trade in Canada will allow you to practice your trade outside of B.C. in provinces and territories covered by the Red Seal certification.

Confirm with the certifying body that your intended program qualifies you for this certification.

To work as a construction manager with an engineering background in B.C., you must register with Engineers and Geoscientists B.C. Eligibility is achieved through graduation from an accredited program, 4 years of work experience as an Engineer-In-Training, and successful completion of the National Professional Practice Examination.

Construction managers

To work as a home building and renovation manager in B.C., you may choose to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification. Eligibility is achieved through signing up with the Canada Green Building Council.

To work as a home building and renovation manager in B.C., you may choose to become a member with the Canadian Home Builders' Association of British Columbia. Eligibility is achieved through submitting a membership request and assessment by your local association. 

Home building and renovation managers

Construction trades helpers and labourers

This instructional program class comprises any program not listed above that relates to Building/construction finishing, management and inspection.

Building/construction finishing, management and inspection, other

Construction Micro-credentials

Architects conceptualize, plan and develop designs for the construction and renovation of commercial, institutional and residential buildings. They are employed by architectural firms, private corporations and governments, or they may be self-employed.

Urban and land use planners develop plans and recommend policies for managing land use, physical facilities and associated services for urban and rural areas and remote regions. They are employed by all levels of government, land developers, engineering and other consulting companies, or may work as private consultants.

Construction managers plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the activities of a construction company or a construction department within a company, under the direction of a general manager or other senior manager. They are employed by residential, commercial and industrial construction companies and by construction departments of companies outside the construction industry.

Home building managers own, operate and manage companies engaged in the construction of new residential homes. Home renovation managers own, operate and manage companies engaged in the renovation of existing residential homes.

Construction trades helpers and labourers assist skilled tradespersons and perform labouring activities at construction sites, in quarries and in surface mines. They are employed by construction companies, trade and labour contractors, and surface mine and quarry operators.

The Essentials Net-Zero and Passive House Construction microcredential is for individuals who want to gain the skills and knowledge to construct high-performance buildings to meet the BC Energy Step Code, Net-Zero Energy, and Passive House standards.

Every industry practitioner will beneﬁt from an applied understanding of the unique requirements of Net-Zero and Passive House design and construction. The microcredential contains the essentials needed for understanding building enclosures, electrical and mechanical systems, and processes and considerations for these new codes and standards.

Essentials Net-Zero and Passive House Construction Micro-credential

 The Essentials of Community Energy and Emissions Management micro-credential offers a comprehensive and practical approach to understanding and implementing energy-efficient and clean energy solutions in communities. On-site renewable energy, zero-emission energy-efficient buildings, and zero-carbon transportation are the key themes of this program.

Essentials of Community Energy and Emissions Management Micro-credential

The Principles of Regenerative Building microcredential will train professionals to deliver low-impact buildings needed to achieve net zero energy and carbon targets. Many of the strategies that enhance a building’s resilience — such as independence from energy grids and the ability to withstand climate-influenced events — are also low-carbon strategies, as they negate the need for carbon-emitting energy and new materials.

Principles of Regenerative Building Micro-credential

The Retrofit Solutions for Rural Communities microcredential is for learners to expand their knowledge of upgrading and retrofitting existing homes in a rural community.

The microcredential—designed to enhance knowledge of essential building science, zero emissions buildings, and retrofit strategies—will cover concepts such as ‘house-as-a-system’, building envelope, heating, cooling, and ventilation, and design for culture, comfort, and affordability. It consists of two courses using practical examples of residential retrofits in rural regions. Through applied activities, learners will identify affordable solutions to improving performance and practice applying these techniques through hands-on activities.

Retrofit Solutions for Rural Communities Micro-credential

The Supervising Net-Zero and Passive House Construction microcredential is for individuals in the construction industry or those who have recently completed a related construction program and seek to gain the skills, knowledge, and tools unique to supervising construction on Net-Zero, Net-Zero-Ready, or Passive House construction projects.

Whether you want to coordinate and supervise smaller teams and sub-trades on smaller projects (Part 9 buildings) or work with larger teams on complex projects (larger Part 9 or Part 3 wood-frame buildings), you will develop your ability to manage compliance with the performance requirements of BC Energy Step Code and Net-Zero Energy and Passive House standards, and prepare for the upcoming changes to the National Building Code.

Supervising Net-Zero and Passive House Construction Micro-credential

The Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment Professional microcredential provides the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use LCA in design decisions for works of construction. Developed in partnership with the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute, this microcredential consists of four courses delivered online by experienced LCA professionals through a combination of self-paced work and virtual live lectures.

You will gain foundational knowledge of life cycle thinking, embodied carbon, and LCA standards and methods that you will apply as you conduct whole-building LCAs and calculate the carbon impact of building materials using Athena’s free LCA software. You will complete the microcredential with a final project where you will undertake a thorough whole-building LCA and produce a comprehensive report in compliance with the national guidelines on whole-building LCA.

Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment Professional Micro-credential

With the Construction for Energy-Efficient Buildings Micro-credential, your first module will cover the technical, economic, and policy elements of Passive House, and teach you how to apply Passive House principles in the context of building physics, windows and mechanical systems.  Principles will reinforced through the use of domestic and international case studies.  Next, you will learn how to use the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) energy modeling software and will model a sample Canadian project.  You will be able to assess energy demand throughout the year and how to optimize the design for energy efficiency.  Lastly, you will prepare to take the internationally recognized Passive House Designer/Consultant examination, by reviewing the previous course topics and completing design exercises and sample test questions.

Construction for Energy-Efficient Buildings Micro-credential

 The micro-certificate consists of four two-week courses that cover bamboo cultivation, engineered bamboo fabrication and application for building construction, as well as carbon sequestration potentials in the growing ‘green’ economy.

Engineered Bamboo for Sustainable Construction Micro-Certificate

The Faculty of Forestry’s Hybrid Timber Construction Micro-Certificate provides design professionals with an understanding of hybrid construction with structural components or systems engineered by combining wood and wood-based products with other materials, mainly steel or reinforced concrete.

Hybrid Timber Construction Micro-Certificate

This Zero Carbon Building Solutions Micro-certificate is a flexible eight-week online program that provides professionals in architecture, engineering and construction industries a thorough understanding of zero-carbon buildings. It will outline how to achieve zero carbon throughout building life cycle including embodied and operational carbon reductions and carbon offsets.

Educational Path

Construction Micro-credentials

Programs

Careers