British Columbia needs plumbers, but apprentices often face financial and practical barriers that can slow their progress. A move to free, adaptable Open Educational Resources (OER) is helping clear those obstacles, giving learners affordable, up-to-date tools to train for jobs that communities across the province require.
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is helping to drive that shift with a new openly licensed resource for Level 2 plumbing apprentices.
The BC Plumbing Apprenticeship Level 2 material, now available online at TRU Open Press, reflects current SkilledTradesBC requirements and includes interactive tools, multimedia supports, defined outcomes and assessments.
In the plumbing trade, where codes, standards and technologies shift regularly, having flexible, up-to-date resources is especially critical.
The BC Plumbing Apprenticeship Level 2 resource, delivers updated course content aligned with Skilled Trades BC requirements. It includes interactive components, multimedia supports, clearly defined learning outcomes and assessment tools, all designed to help apprentices strengthen hands-on skills while staying current with industry expectations.
The publication is part of a broader effort to modernize and standardize trades training across the province. By making materials open and adaptable, SkilledTradesBC and the BC Plumbing Trades Articulation Curriculum Committee aim to give instructors greater flexibility to update and share content, while reducing or eliminating textbook costs for apprentices.
Paul Simpson, a TRU trades faculty member and chair of the BC Plumbing Trades Curriculum Subcommittee, led the development of the Level 2 resource.
Plumbing student (Photo courtesy of SkilledTradesBC)
“These resources are foundational for the plumbing trade in B.C.,” he says. “They have greatly enhanced students’ accessibility and experience throughout their technical training delivered by all partner trade schools in the province.”
TRU plumbing instructor Audrey Curran, who is teaching with the new materials, says the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“They’ve been a hit,” she says. “The students love how interactive and user-friendly they are, and the free online and printable versions make them super accessible.
“I’m really proud to have been part of their development and believe they’ll be a valuable resource for instructors and students across the province and country.”
Apprentices using the resource for the first time say the shift to open textbooks is making a tangible difference, financially and academically.
“The cost for me to print out all the textbooks was one-fifth of what they cost me last year from the bookstore,” says Level 2 apprentice Connor Cave. “I did misplace one of the textbooks for some time but was able to just use my phone to read the textbook.
“Navigating the online version is very easy, especially with the specialized words being in italics. I hope the next two years of schooling will have the textbooks in this format.”
Classmate Eric Sweder agrees, noting both the design and accessibility benefits.
“I like the layout of the material, and having the free online option is helpful financially and if you were to ever lose your printed copy,” he says.
For Tom Jirasek, the online availability opens the door to a more flexible learning experience.
“Having the books available online creates a much more flexible and convenient learning environment. It also makes a significant financial difference, especially when you’re on a limited income during the schooling portion of an apprenticeship,” says Jirasek.
“Not having to pay for printed textbooks removes a major barrier and makes studying much more accessible.”
The new Level 2 resource joins existing Level 3 and Level 4 plumbing OERs already available through BCcampus. Work on the Level 1 materials is currently underway, with release planned for 2026. Once complete, the four-level suite will provide a fully open, provincewide curriculum for the BC Plumbing Apprenticeship program.
For TRU, the project reinforces the university’s leadership in open education and its commitment to supporting collaboration between educators, industry and provincial partners.
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