How to…
Obtain an Operator-in-Training (OIT)
Certificate / Licence
Introduction:
In Ontario, persons
performing operational duties in a drinking
water or wastewater facility are
required to hold or be
deemed to hold a valid certificate and/or licence for the type of system in which they
perform their duties (i.e.. water treatment
subsystem, wastewater collection facility,
etc.). People wishing to become
an operator must first obtain an
Operator-in-Training certificate and/or
licence which allow new operators to gain
the one year of valid operating experience
that is required to become a class I
operator).
This “How To Guide” is only a summary. To be clear about the
specific requirements you must refer to the Certification of
Drinking Water System Operators and Water Quality Analysts
Regulation (O. Reg. 128.04) and the Licensing of Sewage Works
Operators Regulation
(O. Reg.129/04). You can access these at
www.e-laws.gov.on.ca.
Requirements:
The minimum requirements to
apply for an Operator-in-Training (OIT)
certificate are:
-
High school diploma (OSSD)
or equivalent
(Click
here for additional info on Grade 12
Equivalency)
-
Pass
Operator-in-Training (OIT) examination
-
For Drinking
Water OITs: Drinking Water Operators
Entry Level Course (if course is not
completed a temporary 16 month OIT
certificate will be issued)
STUDY MATERIAL:
Ontario Ministry of
Environment’s Operator-in-Training exam
preparation study manual is available at the
OWWCO office and may be purchased at cost of
$ 45.00. Payments must be made by certified
cheques/ drafts or money order or by credit
card (Mastercard or Visa) to the order of HR
Associates which is the parent company of
OWWCO. Study manual order form 1861 can be
downloaded from:
http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/GetAttachDocs/012-1861E~1/$File/1861E.pdf
Steps to obtain an Operator-in-Training
Certificate / Licence:
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Details |
Tips and
Resources |
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Step 1 |
Requirements |
Ensure you meet
the requirements as indicated above. |
Note:
Proof of OSSD or equivalent
education qualifications is
required to be
submitted with your exam
registration form.
Click here for additional info on
Grade 12 Equivalency |
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Details |
Tips and
Resources |
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Step 2 |
Completing the
Exam Registration Form |
The OIT exam
consists of four modules. You may
choose to write from one to all four
modules at one exam sitting. The
fee for sitting in an OIT exam is
$30 regardless of the number of
modules, and is non-refundable.
Passing the exam allows you to
obtain the certificate/licence for
each module you wrote. |
An OIT exam
consists of any combination of the
following modules:
Water Treatment
Water
Distribution and Supply
Wastewater
Treatment
Wastewater
Collection |
|
OWWCO provides
exam locations throughout Ontario.
Exam locations and dates are posted
on our website along with the
application deadline for each exam.
You must indicate an exam location
and date on your registration form.
If you are employed by a
municipality, you may have your OIT
exam proctored at your place of
employment instead of sitting at an
OWWCO session. |
Note:
Your exam application
should be received
by OWWCO a minimum 1 month in
advance of the exam date you chose.
Click here for the Exam Schedule |
|
Complete and
submit the exam registration form
and attach proof of grade 12 or
equivalent and payment. Incomplete
or incorrectly completed
applications may result in delays,
causing you to miss your requested
exam date.
|
Note:
Payment must be
made
payable to the Minister of
Finance
for
all exam applications. Joint cheques
for exam registration fees and study
guide fees are not accepted.
Applications may
be submitted by:
Mail
– cheque, money order or credit card
payments
Fax –
credit card payments only
Click here for the Exam Registration
form |
|
Step 3 |
Registration |
Operators who
have submitted applications that are
complete and who meet the
eligibility requirements will
receive a receipt and a confirmation
letter in the mail. The confirmation letter will
confirm the exam type, time, date
and the location of
your exam. Check the details of
your exam letter. If you have any
questions, contact OWWCO at
416-231-2100.
|
Note:
The exam confirmation letter along
with government issued photo
identification must be brought to
the exam site the day of the exam in
order to write.
Operator-in-Training study manual
may also be ordered along with your
exam registration form, please see
details under ‘STUDY MATERIAL’ above |
|
Step 4 |
Exam Results |
A letter with
your exam results shall be mailed to
you within 14 days of your
exam date.
|
70% or higher is
required to pass an OIT exam |
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Step 5 |
OIT certificates/
licences |
Wastewater
Operator-in-Training Licence (s):
If you wrote the
Wastewater Treatment and/or
Wastewater Collection OIT modules
and passed, these certificates will
be mailed to you automatically at no
additional cost.
Water
Treatment/ Water Supply and
Distribution Certificate:
On successfully
passing the Water Treatment/ Water
Supply and Distribution OIT exam you
may apply for Water Treatment and/
or Water Supply and Distribution
OIT certificates to be issued, the
cost of each Water OIT is $ 30.00
( if you need both water OIT
certificate the total cost for the
certificates to be issued is
$60.00). The Water Treatment and
Water Supply and Distribution OIT
certificate is valid for a total of
16 months from date of original
issue.
For the 16 month
Water Treatment and/ or Water Supply
and Distribution OIT certificate
(which is initially issued on
passing water OIT as described
above) to be extended to full three
years from date of original issue
you are required to complete
Drinking Water Operators Entry Level
Course with in the first 16
months of issue of Water OIT’s,
this course is offered through
Walkerton Clean Water Centre.
Please visit
www.wcwc.ca for details of the
course.
Drinking Water
Operators Entry Level course is also
offered currently through Community
Colleges who have incorporated the
Entry-Level Drinking Water Operator
Mandatory Course for drinking water
operators into their curriculum.
Currently thirteen colleges have
entered into agreements with the
Ministry and the Walkerton Clean
Water Centre to deliver the
training.
|
Note:
Water
Treatment and/or Water Distribution
and Supply OIT certificates are
$30.00 each and must be applied for
separately.
Click
here for an OIT Certificate Issuing
form
Temporary
drinking water Operator-in- Training
certificates for students…
click
here |
All applications are to
be submitted to the OWWCO office at:
Ontario Water Wastewater
Certification Office
302 The East Mall, Suite 410
Etobicoke, ON M9B 6C7
Fax #: 416-231-2107
Payment by cheque/ draft
or money order for Operator-in-Training
certificate(s) are to be made out to the
“Minister of Finance” and cheque/ draft
or money order for OIT study manual must be
payable to HR Associates.
frequently asked questions:
After writing and passing
my OIT exam, how soon can I write Class 1
exam?
To qualify for a Class I
certificate you must have one year of
experience. Therefore, as you near having
one year experience, you may apply to write
your Class I exam.
If I fail the OIT exam,
how soon may I rewrite?
You may submit an exam
registration form at anytime provided OWWCO
receives it a minimum 1 month in advance of
the exam date you choose.
Can I reschedule my OIT
exam if I need to change the date or miss
the exam?
You may reschedule your
exam provided OWWCO receives an email or
written notice 14 days in advance of your
scheduled exam date. You may only
reschedule the same exam twice. To
reschedule a third time, a new application
form and fee would need to be submitted.
If I write more than one
OIT module (for example water treatment and
wastewater treatment) do I receive a
separate mark for each module?
Candidates will receive a
single mark based on all of the questions
written.
This “How To Guide” is only a summary. To be clear about the
specific requirements you must refer to the Certification of
Drinking Water System Operators and Water Quality Analysts
Regulation (O. Reg. 128.04) and the Licensing of Sewage Works
Operators Regulation
(O. Reg.129/04). You can access these at
www.e-laws.gov.on.ca.
