Driver training
Teach an ICBC-approved course
Licensed driver training schools can have their Class 7 or 8 driver training course approved by ICBC. This course is designed for new drivers in our graduated licensing program (GLP) and provides many benefits.
Benefits of an ICBC-approved course
The course, which is based on our Mapping a Safe Course curriculum, aims to actively engage new drivers in learning in a fun, interactive way. It focuses on helping drivers develop a safe, responsible attitude behind the wheel.
Student drivers who take an approved course could receive:
Two grade 11 credits towards high school graduation, and a
Six-month reduction in their Novice (N) stage of graduated licensing.
Qualifying for a six-month reduction in the N Stage
To qualify, a student must complete the course within 365 days from start to finish while in the GLP learner stage, and have no violations or at-fault crashes during the first 18 months of their N stage.
Course details
Class 7 - Passenger vehicle training hours
Minimum classroom instruction — 16 hours
Minimum individual on-road instruction — 12 hours
Discretionary time — 4 hours
Total 32 hours
Class 8 - Motorcycle training hours
Minimum closed circuit instruction — 10 hours
Minimum classroom instruction — 13 hours
Minimum on-road instruction — 14 hours
Discretionary time — 2 hours
Total 39 hours
Topics taught include:
Avoiding risks like speeding and driving impaired
Driver psychology
Rules of the road
Vehicle performance, and
Vehicle-handling skills.
Submit your course for approval
If you are a licensed driving school interested in offering this excellent course to your students, learn how to submit your Class 7 or 8 driver training course for approval.
How to submit your course
You need to build a course that feels right for you and your students while meeting ICBC standards and requirements.
You can take your existing course and turn it into an ICBC–approved course, or you may build a new course.
Course planning requires some thought about what your students need to learn and the planning of specific lessons.
Start by reviewing our Course Approval Guide and mapping a safe course curriculum. There are two versions of mapping a safe course depending on the vehicle type used for training:
The Course Approval Guide and mapping a safe course will explain the approval requirements and what you need to teach.
The Instructor Resource Kit includes information on the learning outcomes and topics and detailed information on instructing and building your course.
Create yourself a course overview by answering these questions:
Where will you instruct?
What content or information will you teach?
How will you divide the time into lessons?
How will you schedule practical and classroom training?
What methods of instruction will you use for each lesson or activity?
In what order will you teach the topics?
What resources and materials will you use?
If you are currently teaching this type of training, consider what you are doing now in your training course, what content and teaching practices meet the requirements and where you may have to add information or change how something is being taught.
To help you prepare your course, you'll need to complete the course approval application package.
Contact us for a course approval application package. We can also send you a print copy of the Course Approval Guide and mapping a safe course.
You'll need to submit detailed lesson plans that clearly outline required content information and describe how the course will be taught.
Refer to these application and approval requirements for a list of required curriculum material:
If you have any questions or need further help preparing your curriculum, contact our driver education programs advisor at 250-297-3823 or send an email to nancy.anderson@icbc.com.
When you have finished preparing your course and completing the required forms, send your package to our office. We will review your course package and let you know if your course has been approved or whether any changes are needed.
Purchasing a course
You may submit a course for approval that you purchased from another driving school. Although using a previously approved course can save you time, the course may still need to be updated. This is because our guidelines for approving a course could have changed since the course was originally approved. We will review your purchased course and let you know whether any changes are needed.
Once your course package has been approved, you will receive interim approval to conduct a pilot course.
A pilot course is an opportunity for you to try out your course with actual students. One of our driving school inspectors will provide comments and may give suggestions to improve your course.
After successful completion of your pilot course evaluation, you will receive a signed copy of the course approval agreement which gives you authority to deliver your ICBC-approved course.