Textbooks and supplies required for students taking the Carpenter Foundation program (total $639.56):

• Carpenter 3rd Canadian Edition by Vogt and Nauth - $188.29
• Carpentry Level 1 Modules - $183.49
• Concrete Formwork – 5th Edition (optional) - $121.29
• 2018 BC Building Code Book - $146.49 

5% GST is not included in price. Price is subject to change. Textbooks available at OC Campus Store by contacting 250-762-5445 ext. 4586 or ordering online.

Other required supplies include:

• CSA-approved hard hat (not white)
• CSA-approved work boots with steel toes (approx. $100-150)
• Hi-vis safety vest, required once work commences outdoors. Please wait until after the class starts before purchasing a vest
• Binder
• Pencils, pens, erasers
• One of the following: Sharp EL-520W, EL-520X, EL-531X calculator
• Government issued picture ID is required to write the provincial and national exams: driver’s licence, photo ID or valid passport. Student card is not acceptable
• Locker lock

OC will supply eye and ear protection 

Required hand tools:

• Tool pouch
• Hammer
• Chalk line (red or blue chalk)
• 25-foot imperial tape measure (may be combination imperial/metric)
• 8-metre metric tape measure (may be combination imperial/metric)
• Geometry set
• Staedtler architect’s metric scale (model # 987-18-SI)
• Utility knife and blades
• Nail claw bar
• Stair gauges
• Three-quarter-inch chisel
• Small square

The above tools are required for the program but there is no requirement to have them on the first day. Your instructor will review this list on the first day of class.

Applicants who have not satisfied the Math admission requirement within the last seven years, and/or do not meet the English admission requirement, must write the TEA Math and/or English test. Both of the assessments are online, multiple-choice and timed. Applicants are allotted 1 hour to complete each section (2 hours for both). A practice assessment and study resources are offered to all applicants who register to write the TEA.  Calculators are not allowed while completing the Math section; applicants who are observed to use a calculator of any sort, will receive a grade of zero.  Applicants who do not achieve the minimum passing requirement on their initial attempt, are offered a second attempt, at no additional cost, after a two-week study period. 

Please ensure you write the assessment, and any required re-writes, prior to the deadline for admissions requirements, provided by the Registrar’s office. For more information or to register for the Trades Entrance Assessment, click here. Further questions can be directed to the Trades and Apprenticeship office at trades@okanagan.bc.ca.

Please note: Applicants who successfully completed the ABLE test at Okanagan College, within the two years prior to application for admission shall have their results accepted as equivalent to the Trades Entrance Assessment. 

Women in Trades has partnered with the Okanagan Training and Development Council (OTDC) to bring the SISTERS program to Okanagan College.  This is a 30-week Indigenous program for women that introduces participants to all aspects of the carpentry trade including the use of hand tools and other equipment used by carpenters.  Upon successful completion, graduates of this program will receive technical training credits Level 1 and work hours towards their apprenticeship.

Explore the SISTERS program