Operator Education and Experience Requirements for Certification

The Newfoundland and Labrador Water and Wastewater Operator Certification Program incorporates the following Levels of Operator Certification:

  • Operator in Training (OIT);
  • Class I;
  • Class II;
  • Class III;
  • Class IV; and
  • Small Systems, OIT, Level І, and Level ІІ – Operators having a deficiency in the education requirement may substitute one year of full time operating experience for each year of high school education deficiency.
  • Level ІІІ and ІV – Up to 50% of the post secondary education requirements can be substituted by Direct Responsible Charge (DRC) experience that is in addition to the experience required for that level.

The following table outlines the education and experience requirements for each certification class. Operators in NL who meet the educational and experience requirements may certify to one Class above the Facility Classification of the system they operate.

Level Education Required Experience Required Substitutions
Secondary1,2 Post Secondary3 Operating DRC Education Experience
OIT HS or Equivalent N/A N/A N/A See note 4 N/A
I HS or Equivalent N/A 1 Year N/A See note 4 See note 5
II HS or Equivalent N/A 3 Years N/A See note 4 See note 5
III HS or Equivalent 2 years or 90 CEUs 4 Years Class II or higher 2 Yr Class II or higher See note 4 See note 5
IV HS or Equivalent 4 years or 180 CEUs 4 Years Class III or higher 2 Yr Class III or higher See note 4 See note 5
Small Systems HS or Equivalent N/A 50 hours over 6 months N/A See note 4 N/A

Notes:

  1. HS – refers to high school graduation. Operators who completed Grade 11 in NL prior to 1985 are considered to have achieved high school graduation. Operators who graduated in 1985 and later must have completed Grade 12.
  2. HS Equivalent – the following are accepted as equivalents to high school graduation:
    • General Educational Development (GED);
    • Post secondary assessment by professional qualified to assess education status;
    • Successful completion of relevant trades program (trade qualified);
    • Successful completion of post secondary degree program from a recognized institution; or
    • Successful completion of diploma program from a recognized institution.
  3. Post Secondary Education – the following are considered acceptable for post secondary requirements:
    • Successful completion of relevant trades program (if not used for Grade 12 equivalency);
    • Successful completion of post secondary degree program from a recognized institution;
    • Successful completion of diploma program from a recognized institution;
    • Partial completion of relevant trades, post secondary degree, or diploma programs or completion of relevant short courses; or
    • Correspondence courses from a recognized institution.

     
    Post secondary course work shall be broadly related to the duties of a drinking water and/or wastewater operator. The programs accepted for post secondary requirements are courses in the following areas:

    • Degree programs including, but not limited to, Science, Engineering, Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Laboratory Studies, Hydrogeology;
    • Diploma programs including, but not limited to, Applied Science and Technology, Environmental Technician or Technologist, Laboratory Studies;
    • Academic portion of applicable trades accepted at value assigned by jurisdiction’s certifying authority – including, but not limited to, Power Engineering, Instrumentation, Plumbing, Electrical, Millwright, Mechanics;
    • Relevant short course work accepted at value assigned by jurisdiction’s certifying authority;
    • Completion of other 4 year University Degree Programs may be accepted at a maximum of 450 contact hours; or
    • Other courses reviewed on an individual basis and determined to be directly related to the delivery of water and wastewater.
  4. Substitutions – Experience for Education
    • OIT, Level І, and Level ІІ – Operators having a deficiency of no more than two high school grades may substitute one year of full time operating experience for each year of high school education deficiency.
    • Level ІІІ and ІV – Up to 50% of the post secondary education requirements can be substituted by Direct Responsible Charge (DRC) experience that is in addition to the experience required for that level.
  5. Substitutions – Education for Experience
    • Level 1 – No education substitutions are allowed to meet the experience requirement of a Level I operator.
    • Level ІІ, ІІІ and ІV – Substitution of valid education credits are allowed for up to 50% of the experience requirement for that Level. For Level II, a maximum of 675 contact hours, 68 CEUs, or 45 semester credits may be substituted for a maximum of 1.5 years experience. For Class III and Class IV, a maximum of 900 contact hours or 90 CEUs or 60 semester credits may be substituted for 2 years of experience. Education credits (CEUs or semester credits) must be from a recognized institution.