Join the team
Discover the reason you’ll be proud of BCIT.
Who can join?
We accept anyone, no matter the faculty or background. All students should have the opportunity to experience hands-on work and take their learning beyond the classroom.
If you are committed to learning and able to dedicate your time, you’re a great candidate!
First Steps
Join our Discord and say hi! This is our primary communication channel.
Keep an eye out for our orientation announcement, where you’ll tour the shop, see the car, and get a feel of what we do. This occurs at the start of each school year.
Official membership requires a few more steps – you’ll learn more at orientation.
When do you meet?
Our regular meeting is 2:30pm every Wednesday in SW9, room 107 plastics lab.
All students and classes should be free by 2:30pm, across all programs. This is by design to ensure everyone can attend. Be aware start times may vary slightly, based on student requirements. Discord is the best place for live updates.
I'm not an engineering student! Can I still join?
Of course! Any student from any faculty can join. The club includes many functions other than engineering, such as: project management, finance, marketing, sponsorship, media, web developement, and more! Our scope of work is far beyond just engineering – it’s a fully functioning non-profit club that requires anything an actual company/organization would need.
We’ve had everyone from journalism to cardiology tech students join. As long as you’re willing to learn, we’ll teach you!
I don't think I have any relevant skills. Can I still join?
As long as you’re willing to learn, we’ll teach you. You don’t even have to know anything about cars (though it does help), there’s other ways to contribute and we can show you the rest. Understand that it might not be easy to learn and it’ll take considerable time and effort, but it is possible.
What is the commitment like?
The rule of thumb: Clearly communicate your commitment and keep your promises as best as you can.
We’re all students – we understand if you need to focus on school or exams and need to extend a deadline. We’ve all been there. As long as you communicate that to us as soon as possible and handle it professionally, we won’t be mad.
The exact hours of commitment really depends on your team and role. Ideally, you attend our weekly session each Wednesday to stay up to date and so we know you’re active.
Some teams will work outside of the Wednesday sessions, either online or in-person another day of the week. Each team sets their own expectations.
Communicate your availability and we’ll try to find a role that fits your requirements.
Some people put in 2 hours every month, some over 120 per month. A fair commitment for an active role would be 1-2 hours every Wednesday.
How do you teach us?
For new members who are interested in doing machining/shop work, we run a multi-week shop-orientation program each year. This enables you to use the tools and select equipment within SW9’s machine shop. This covers things like hand tools, sheet metal, and drill presses. Anyone can join this program.
It is required you have completed this if you do any work on the car/in the machine shop. This is a school requirement and ensures you are safe. The only exception is for engineering students who have completed MECH1210, which covers all the safety orientation.
Specialized roles such as welding/lathe/CNC work requires that you have some prior experience. Special training may be provided, such as for MIG/TIG welding requirements.
Design teams may run a SolidWorks training program for more advanced engineering students.
How do you teach non-technical roles?
Business roles (anything not engineering) will have separate training from the shop-orientation. This varies per team and the role in question.
I have a suggestion for improvement!
Please feel free to share it! We recognize we’re far from a perfect club and we’re always striving for improvement. We might not always have the resources to make things perfect, but we’re always looking for people to help work on solutions. Let us know what you think and we can see what we can do!