British Columbia Institute of Technology

ABOUT UNIVERSITY

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is a public polytechnic institute located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It operates five campuses across the Metro Vancouver area: the main campus in Burnaby, the Aerospace Technology Campus in Richmond, the Marine Campus in North Vancouver, the Downtown campus in Vancouver, and the Annacis Island Campus in Delta. Established under the College and Institute Act, BCIT focuses on vocational and technical education, offering apprenticeships in skilled trades as well as diplomas and degrees for technicians and professionals in fields such as applied and natural sciences, business, media, engineering, health sciences, computing, IT, and trades.BCIT began in 1960 as the British Columbia Vocational School (BCVS), the province’s first permanent trades school, initially offering programs like carpentry, welding, and aircraft maintenance. In 1964, BCIT opened its Burnaby campus, enrolling 498 students, and celebrated its first graduates in 1966. By 1975, enrollment had grown to 3,200 students. The institute expanded with new facilities, including a campus on Sea Island, Richmond, established in 1977. The BCIT Alumni Association was formed in 1979. The British Columbia Vocational School and the Haney Educational Centre merged to become the Pacific Vocational Institute (PVI) in 1980, which was then incorporated into BCIT in 1986, along with satellite facilities like the Aircraft Maintenance Centre at Vancouver International Airport.In 1989, legislative changes broadened BCIT’s mandate to include applied research, leading to the creation of the Technology Centre, a facility for multidisciplinary research and development. BCIT now serves as a key hub for applied technology transfer in the province. By 2017, full-time enrollment had reached 18,755 students, with an additional 30,593 part-time students, and the institute has produced over 125,000 alumni since its founding.