TRAINING
The Entry-Level Course for Drinking Water Operators (ELC) is a mandatory course for all drinking water operators developed by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. Successful completion of the ELC is needed to upgrade a drinking water Operator-in-Training (OIT) certificate to Class 1 certificate.
WCWC delivers the ELC course that provides new operators with a basic understanding of water characteristics and pathogens, treatment and distribution processes, and the regulations that govern water quality. It is intended to complement the on-the-job training that OIT’s receive from their employers.
- Register for the ELC
- Information regarding OIT certification
- Exam Rewrite Policy for Mandatory Courses
- Ministry brochure: A Student’s Guide to Drinking Water & Wastewater Operator Certification
The ELC is also included in the curriculum of certain environmental programs at several Ontario colleges. Students who graduate from these programs are not required to take the ELC through the WCWC.
ONTARIO TRAINING
ELC College Programs
The following Ontario Colleges have incorporated the Entry-Level Course into their environmental program.
- Algonquin College – Environmental Technician Program & Water and Wastewater Technician.
- Cambrian college – Environmental Monitoring & Impact Assessment (EMPD) Program
- Canadore College – Environmental Technician – Protection and Compliance Program
- Centennial College – Environmental Technology Program & Environmental Technician Program
- Confederation College – Environmental Technician Program
- Durham College – Environmental Technology Program
- Fleming College – Environmental Technician Program
- Georgian College – Environmental Technician Program
- Humber College – Civil Engineering Technology Program
- Lambton College – Environmental Technician – Water & Wastewater Systems Operations
- Loyalist College – Environmental Technician/Technologies Program
- Mohawk College – Environmental Technician & Chemical Engineering Technology program & Utilities System Operator Program
- Niagara College – Environmental Technician Field and Laboratory Program
- Northern College, Kirkland Lake Campus – Environmental Technician – Water and Wastewater Systems Operations Program
- University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus – Environmental Management Program
- St. Lawrence College – Environmental Technician Program
WCWC has been supporting Ontario postsecondary students by providing unique hands-on training during the Operation of Conventional Treatment Processes course to these colleges that deliver the ELC as part of their programs.