Vancouver Community College, a public college, offers more than 140 diploma and certificate options in areas such as music and dance, sign language, jewelry design, drafting, computer networking, paralegal, automotive, culinary arts and apprentice trades. It even offers applied technology classes for the visually impaired.
Complete information can be found at the Vancouver Community College's website at vcc.ca.
With schools of business, computing and academic studies, construction and the environment, energy, health sciences, and transportation, British Columbia Institute of Technology offers many avenues for the technical student.
BCIT has a large number of trade and apprentice programs in energy, transportation, construction, environment, and electrical and mechanical schools. It is the largest post-secondary institute in British Columbia with 16,000 full-time students and 32,000 part-time students each year as of 2011.
Complete information can be found at the British Columbia Institute of Technology website at bcit.ca.
The private Art Institute of Vancouver has only been in Vancouver since 2004, but it is part of a network of schools across North America founded in 1970. If your interest lies in the arts, then the Art Institute of Vancouver provides two-year diploma degrees or shorter term certificates in four areas: cuisine, design, media arts and fashion.
The media arts range from animation art to professional and recording arts, while the design degree includes graphic or interior design, as well as merchandising. The culinary paths include baking and pastry, as well as restaurant ownership and management. Fashion diplomas include marketing, merchandising and design, and management.
Complete information can be found at the Art Institute of Vancouver website at artinstitutes.edu/vancouver.
The Vancouver campus of CDI College, originated in 1969, has three main schools: business, health care and technology. Students can earn diplomas in networking, programming, Internet security, accounting, payroll, computer business applications, travel and tourism, business and finance, practical nursing, health care assisting, or addictions and community services within these three schools.
Complete information can be found at the CDI College website at cdicollege.ca.
Arbutus College's schools of business, communication, and translation and interpreting offer short-term certificates available in as few as two months. Many of the certificates come with work or cooperative experience set up by the college.
Arbutus also partners with Forum for International Trade Training (FITT), an international trade training and professional certification body, providing Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation to its international trade graduates.
Complete information can be found at the Arbutus College website at arbutuscollege.com.