I Need CEUs, But We’re in the Midst of a Pandemic!

Across Canada, every certification authority requires its Environmental Operators to complete a certain number of (Continuing Education Units) CEUs to maintain certification, and the Environmental Operators Certification Program (EOCP) is no different. While this is in accordance with the Best Practices of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Operator Certification Committee, some jurisdictions have two-year reporting periods, while others have longer reporting periods. But for all, the CEUs required average out to 1.2 CEUs per year for Operators holding Level I-IV certifications with the only exception being Ontario where more CEUs are required the higher your level of certification.

At the EOCP, the CEUs needed per two-year reporting period are:

Bulk Water Delivery (BWD): 0.6 CEUs

Small Water System (SWS), Small Wastewater System (SWWS), Building Water System (BWS): 1.2 CEUs

Levels I-IV: 2.4 CEUs

The EOCP has NOT changed its requirements for CEUs during this pandemic for several reasons:

1.      Continuing professional development is a fundamental tenet of Operator certification throughout North America, and many professions are moving towards the model of mandating ongoing professional development;

2.      We are only part way through the first year of a two-year reporting period, leaving plenty of time to complete CEU requirements;

3.      Some training providers have had distance learning options for many years;

4.      Many training providers have adapted to our new reality and provide virtual training and/or training in person with COVID-19 safety protocols;

5.      The EOCP and other organizations have annual conferences that also provide opportunities to learn and accumulate CEUs.

Reaching out to organizations, this is what they had to say:

With the introduction of the lockdown in March 2020, a lot of utilities had staff working limited shifts (one day at home each week so staff did not work together) but Sun Peaks asked that they take courses online.  Several courses taken were either free or had minimal costs.  We held training sessions via Microsoft Teams and recorded them for future use.  After a few glitches, the training went well. Staff used computers or tablets that were provided by the Municipality and supported this initiative as the courses were all good for CEUs and enabled staff to remain compliant with EOCP’s requirements.  – Pat Miller, formerly at Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality

At BCMSA we have altered our training in two ways: right away, we modified all the courses to be delivered virtually via Zoom or MS Teams. That has been very well received and attended by many municipalities. When the Province entered Phase 3, we established strict safety protocols for face to face training sessions. The first few were a bit nerve wracking as a trainer, but we are firm in maintaining sanitation and distance protocols; if the municipality is unable to maintain these protocols, we would evoke our right to refuse unsafe work. Thankfully, that hasn't been necessary. – Cathy Cook, BCMSA

We are doing online theoretical education combined with carefully controlled in-person practical training. It’s a lot of work and attention to detail for both the instructors and students but we are all making it work. – Allison O’Neill, Okanagan College

The above, just a few of the comments received, show that similar to the EOCP modifying its operations to provide services to Operators in a safe manner, training providers have pivoted to this new reality, and have made many modifications to their training methods to ensure Operators have access to training to maintain their CEUs and/or complete the education needed to write higher levels of certification exams. To make it easier for Operators to find courses that are virtual, we are asking training providers to indicate this in the EOCP’s CRM, thus Operators can now use the ‘Location’ tab to search for virtual courses. 

The regulations stipulate the need for Operators to be certified, and certification needs completion of the required number of CEUs. We do not know how long this pandemic will last but do know that provision of safe drinking water and wastewater management will remain essential. Part and parcel of that is the requirement to complete the required CEUs, and fortunately, training providers appear ready, willing, and able to provide Operator training in a safe manner.