Certification Requirements

The below information lists the combinations of education, training, and experience required for eligibility to write the examinations for each level of certification.

You can find a quick reference guide for all of our certifications below:

  • Operator In Training
    • 3 months (minimum 500 hours) at Class I or higher facility/system, or completion of 90 hours (9.0 CEUs) in an approved basic Operator training course
    • As of 1 January 2018, there is only one exam and certification for Operator-in-Training (encompassing Water Treatment, Water Distribution, Wastewater Collection, and Wastewater Treatment)
  • Multi-Utility Level I
    • 12 months (minimum 1,000 hours) at two or more Class I or higher facilities/ systems, including 500 hours in desired utility at a facility or system that serves less than 10,000 people
    • Completion of approved training course with minimum 0.6 CEUs (specifically approved for Multi-Utility certification in desired utility)
  • Level I
    • 12 months (1,800 hours) at Class I or higher facility/system
  • Multi-Utility Level II
    • 36 months (minimum 3,000 hours) at two or more Class I or higher facilities/ systems, including 1,500 hours in desired utility at a facility or system that serves less than 10,000 people
    • Completion of approved training course with minimum 0.6 CEUs
  • Level II
    • 3 years (minimum 5,400 hours) at Class I or higher facility/system
  • Level III
    • 4 years (minimum 7,200 hours) at Class II or higher facility/system
    • 2 years of directly applicable post-secondary education or 90 CEUs
    • 2 years (3,000 hours) Direct Responsible Charge at Class II or higher facility
  • Level IV
    • 4 years (7,200 hours) at Class III or higher facility
    • 4 years of post-secondary training/ education or 180 CEUs
    • 2 years (3,000 hours) Direct Responsible Charge at Class III or higher facility

Note: For all of the above certifications, there is also a high school requirement. Proof of high school will be accepted with a High school diploma, GED, Adult Graduation Diploma, or Red Seal Trade. Yukon students must also meet the British Columbia requirements in order to graduate.

Small Water System / Small Wastewater System / Bulk Water Delivery

  • 1.2 CEUs
  • 50 hours of hands-on operating experience
  • Note – High School is not a requirement for small systems certification

Building Water Systems (BWS)

  • Completion of an accredited BWS course.
    • Training Providers for BWS Courses continue to become recognized by EOCP. BWS Courses can currently be found in the CRM by the below links (we will update this as more become available):

You can also view a guide to applying for the above exams in the EOCP CRM by clicking here.

Note: if you are not sure where your personal situation fits with the above information, please contact the EOCP office at 604-874-4784 or toll free at 1-866-552-3627, or via email at eocp@eocp.ca.