Environmental Technician - Water & Wastewater Systems Operations at Lambton College

Environmental Technicians, specializing in water and wastewater, are in demand in Ontario for a variety of sectors including mining, the public service and private industry. The Environmental Technician – Water & Wastewater Systems Operations College diploma is a fast-track to qualification for employment as a licensed drinking water operator in Ontario. In addition, this program shares a delivery of courses with Northern College and as such, certain lectures will be delivered remotely via a virtual classroom. The platform used for the distance delivery will be Adobe Connect and students will be expected to have a personal mobile device like a laptop to login and view the lectures delivered by the partner college faculty.

Students enrolled in this program will train in Lambton College’s new Centre of Excellence in Energy & Bio-Industrial Technologies. The Centre offers state-of-practice technology laboratories and infrastructure to support learning and research in next-generation technologies in collaboration with industry.

The program has an innovative delivery model, allowing students to graduate faster – in two years instead of three – by combining theory and practical systems operator experience, in conjunction with three co-op work terms.

Students can expect to be exposed to both operating water treatment facilities and pilot-scale systems during their studies. The conversion of raw water to safe drinking water is the goal and students are immersed in every step of the process.

The curriculum focuses on preparing students to write the Ontario Operator-in-Training examinations and the Drinking Water Operators Entry-Level Course through the Walkerton Clean Water Centre and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. In combination with the co-op work terms, graduates will obtain the practical experience required to graduate with a Class 1 Operator license.

Employment Opportunities

Our graduates pursue a broad range of exciting employment opportunities. They find employment in Ontario's municipal and aboriginal water and wastewater facilities, environmental departments in mines and other industries, solid waste management facilities and in government.

A wide variety of career opportunities that are dynamic and challenging that also offer a competitive rate of compensation are available to graduates. Career positions may include, but are not limited to: environmental systems operator - water treatment, water purification plant operator, liquid waste process operator, sewage plant operator, waste treatment plant operator, wastewater treatment plant operator, water filtration plant operator, and water treatment plant operator.