Approved June 2009

Purpose

To identify the type of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that will be accepted by the ministry for the purposes of upgrading to a Class III or Class IV drinking water certificate and wastewater licence.

Certificate/licence requirements

O. Reg. 128/04 and O. Reg. 129/04 require an operator to provide evidence of additional education/training and experience for the issuance of a Class III and IV certificate and licence.

The Director will issue an operator’s certificate provided the applicant meets all of the qualifications for the specific certificate applied for and pays the required fee.

To qualify for an operator’s certificate, a person must:

  • meet education and training requirements;
  • meet experience requirements; and
  • pass a certification examination.

The following table outlines the education/training requirements for upgrading a certificate/licence to a Class III and IV.

Education/Training Requirements
Certificate/Licence Education/Training
Class III Grade 12 or equivalent + 2 years of additional education or training the Director considers relevant.
Class IV Grade 12 or equivalent + 4 years of additional education or training the Director considers relevant.

Education & training deemed relevant for the purposes of securing an upgrade

For the purpose of calculating education or training obtained through continuing education, 450 hours of education or training equals one year. This translates into 45 CEUs, as 1 CEU equals 10 hours of training.

The types of education and training that the Ministry will accept for the purpose of upgrading a certificate would include:

  • Any Director Approved Continuing Education course. These courses are posted on the Certification Program Administrator website. Courses that previously received Director Approval but are no longer offered or available may still be used toward a certificate/licence upgrade, provided the Director Approval was not rescinded by the ministry.
  • The ministry’s Entry-Level Course for Drinking Water Operator and Mandatory Certification Renewal Course.
  • Postsecondary education deemed relevant by the Ministry such as community college, trade school (apprenticeship programs) and university. This does not include education obtained in elementary or secondary school, including Ontario Academic Credits (OACs). The ministry will recognize 100%, 50%, or 25% of the annual maximum CEUs for a course/program depending on its relevance to the water/wastewater industry.

Degrees/diplomas from a recognized university or community college

1. Programs considered as 100% relevance

The following programs would be considered as having 100% relevance and would receive full CEU value for the purposes of an upgrade:

  • Engineering degrees/diplomas from a recognized university or community college (includes chemical, civil, mechanical, electrical and environmental);
  • The following degrees/diplomas from a recognized university or community college:
    • Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Hydrogeology
    • Environmental Technologist/Technician
    • Environmental Management
    • Water Quality Technologist/Technician
    • Civil Engineering Technologist/Technician
    • Lab Technologist/Technician

The above programs will be credited 45 CEUs for each full school year completed and 22.5 CEUs for each half school year completed. For example, if four months of an eight month program are completed (half a school year) 22.5 CEUs will be granted.

  • The following trades recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities (MTCU):
    • Construction and Maintenance Electrician
    • Industrial Electrician
    • Industrial Mechanic Millwright
    • Instrumentation & Control Technician
    • Plumber
    • Water Well Driller
    • Welder

The above programs will be credited 45 CEUs per completed school year. Partial CEUs will be granted for programs that are less than one year in length and are considered under this category. For example, if the program is 26 weeks long, 22.5 CEUs will be granted.

  • Other relevant programs/disciplines will be assessed on a case by case basis.

2. Programs considered as 50% relevance

The following programs could be considered as having 50% relevance and could receive half CEU value for the purposes of an upgrade:

  • All other engineering degrees/diplomas from a recognized university or community college (includes computer science, stationary engineering, etc.) not included in Section 1 above;
  • Science based degrees/diplomas from a recognized university or community college (other than those identified in Section 1 above);
  • Other relevant programs/disciplines will be assessed on a case by case basis.

The above programs will be credited 22.5 CEUs per completed school year. Partial CEUs will be granted for programs that are less than one year in length and are considered under this category. For example, if the program is 26 weeks long, 11.2 CEUs will be granted.

3. Programs considered as 25% relevance

The following programs would be considered as having 25% relevance and could receive partial CEU value for the purposes of an upgrade:

  • All university degrees/diplomas from a recognized university or community college (other than those identified in Sections 1 and 2 above);
  • Technical trades recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities (MTCU), other than those listed as having 100% relevance (above), as determined by the Director;
  • Other relevant programs/disciplines will be assessed on a case by case basis;
  • Other relevant technical trades will be assessed on a case by case basis.

The above programs will be credited 11.25 CEUs per completed school year. Partial CEUs will be granted for programs that are less than one year in length and are considered under this category. For example, if the program is 26 weeks long, 5.6 CEUs will be granted.

Individual course(s) consideration for CEUs

For individual courses, the Certification Program Administrator will request a copy of a transcript and credit the appropriate CEU value for each course completed.

The Certification Program Administrator will evaluate training/education to ensure that it meets the ministry’s criteria for CEUs. Courses that the Certification Program Administrator would consider for the purposes of upgrading a certificate and/or licence must include the following:

  • Formal training with a predefined structure (i.e. administered by a recognized training institution);
  • Certificate of completion or transcript; and
  • Be related to the duties of an operator.

Courses will only be accepted if the participant has passed the course. If a course is taken more than once, only one offering will be accepted (this includes health and safety training) for upgrades. If the course has been administered without a CEU or hour value, and it is determined that the course was taken during full time studies, the Certification Program Administrator will issue 4.5 CEUs per course.

Special consideration may be provided to individuals who have obtained a degree/diploma from the 50% or 25% relevance categories while having successfully completed various engineering/science related courses. If the CEU value is higher when assessing courses on an individual basis rather than the entire degree/diploma, then the courses can be considered individually. It is the responsibility of the applicant to inform the Certification Program Administrator that they are within this category and to provide the information per course as outlined above.

For a complete listing of 'Director Approved' courses and more information on how to obtain an upgraded certificate, please visit the Drinking Water Ontario website.

Substitution of excess operator-in-charge experience for education/training

The ministry will also allow an operator to substitute excess operator-in-charge (OIC) experience for up to 50% of the education/training requirement. For example if an operator is applying for a Class III certificate and has five years of experience, three years of which are OIC experience, the additional one year of OIC experience can be used to substitute one year of education/training.

Class III applicants may substitute up to one year experience as an operator-in-charge in a Class II, III or IV subsystem, above that required to meet the experience qualifications, for one year of education/training (or 450 hours of additional education/training).

Class IV applicants may substitute up to two years of experience as an operator-in-charge in a Class III or IV subsystem, above that required to meet the experience qualifications, for the two years of additional education/training.

Substitution of education/training for operating experience

Class II, III and IV applicants can substitute education/training (except for elementary and secondary education), above that required to meet the additional education and training qualifications for up to 50% of the required operating experience.