Co-op Student (Water & Wastewater Treatment)

Halton Region; Oakville; On-site; CAD 29,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Halton Region's co-op program offers a paid professional opportunity at the Mid-Halton Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oakville. You will support the water and wastewater teams by assisting in SCADA operations, maintenance, data analysis and system improvements.

The role is open to students enrolled in a post-secondary program in Automation Systems Engineering Technology or equivalent, with strong communication and troubleshoot skills.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in a post-secondary co-op program in Automation Systems Engineering Technology or equivalent.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Strong troubleshooting and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to read and develop control narratives from drawings and schematics.
• Willingness to work in a largely self-directed environment.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team.
• Advanced experience with office technology solutions including Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Provide full support for SCADA systems across water facilities.
• Update control narratives, test PLC/HMI programming, alarms, and reports.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose PLC hardware/software (Allen-Bradley, SLC 5/05, CompactLogix, ControlLogix).
• Support updating Halton SCADA standards and explore new technologies.
• Document deviations from standards and suggest improvements.
• Monitor new software/hardware to optimize controls and contribute to standards.
• Maintain SCADA drawings (AutoCAD) and assist with related facilities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Effective communication

Organizational skills

Troubleshooting

Critical thinking

Team collaboration

Self-motivation

Microsoft Office

Reading diagrams

Education

Automation Systems Engineering Technology

Tools

AutoCAD

Allen-Bradley PLCs

Job description

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Co-op Student (Water & Wastewater Treatment)

Halton Region is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We value, welcome and respect the unique perspectives and contributions of all individuals. We encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples (First Nation, Métis, Inuit), Black and racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Accommodations are available at any point upon request for candidates participating in the selection process.

Looking for an exciting job opportunity that will launch your career? Halton Region’s co-op program provides a paid professional opportunity that allows you to gain valuable experience and develop the skill set you need to build a successful career.

We engage great people who contribute to meaningful work that makes a positive difference in our community. As a co-op at Halton, you will gain professional growth and development working alongside your mentors. You will be part of a progressive, service-focused and award winning employer.

Posting ID: 5543
Department: Public Works
Division: Water & Wastewater Treatment
Pay Range: $20.61 - $23.86/hour
Job Type: Co-op Student
Contract Duration: Up to 12 months
Hours of Work: 35 hours per week
Work Location: Mid-Halton Wastewater Treatment Plant - 2195 North Service Road West, Oakville
Employee Group: OCT

Vacancy Status: This posting is for an existing vacancy
Posting Date: October 6, 2026
Application Deadline: October 27, 2026

To be eligible to apply for a co-op student position, you must meet the following criteria:

• Legally entitled to work in Canada as a student.


• In possession of a Social Insurance Number (card) at time of hire.


• Currently enrolled in a post-secondary educational institution on a full-time basis and returning to school upon completion of the co-op work term(s).

This position will require the successful incumbent to provide proof of co-op eligibility, a transcript and tax credit form(s) from their school’s co-op department.

Job Summary

This position supports the water and wastewater treatment and services teams by assisting in ensuring the smooth running, upgrading and improvement of SCADA systems. Typical tasks include maintenance, troubleshooting, commissioning, analyzing operational data and logging results. This role provides a great opportunity to develop and enhance programming skills, learn about automation involved in the water and wastewater sector and gain experience working on technology and infrastructure improvements within these processes.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Work as part of a team to provide a full range of support services for all aspects of the SCADA systems in the Region’s water and wastewater facilities.


• Work with SCADA staff to update control narratives, write, and test and commission PLC programming, HMI programming and configuration including graphics, alarming, trending and reporting systems for significant changes to the existing SCADA systems.


• Troubleshoot, diagnose and correct Allen-Bradley PLC hardware and software, SLC 5/05s, CompactLogix and ControlLogix, Aveva’s InTouch and System Platform, I/O servers, Historian and Historian Client Software.


• Take a role in support of updating and maintenance of the Region’s SCADA Standards including research and development of new technologies and applications.


• Document and save any deviations from the current Regional Standards and provide recommendations for changes to Regional Standards.


• Research and monitor new software, hardware and technologies to ensure optimization of equipment and process controls, and provide input into SCADA standards development to ensure Halton capitalizes on technology advancements.


• Support and maintain network architecture (AutoCAD) drawings for all water, wastewater, waste management and Biosolids facilities with SCADA systems.
  Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills & Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a post-secondary education co-op program in Automation Systems Engineering Technology or equivalent.


• Effective written and oral communication skills.


• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.


• Strong troubleshooting and critical thinking skills.


• Ability to read, interpret and develop process control narratives from process and instrumentation drawings, electrical control schematics and instrumentation loop drawings.


• Self-motivated, demonstrate initiative, and the ability to work successfully in a largely self-directed work environment.


• Ability to work collaboratively in an empowered team environment.


• Advanced experience with office technology solutions including Microsoft Office.


• The incumbent will be exposed to a wide variety of treatment processes, legislative requirements that require attention to detail and documentation.

Preferred

• Experience in programming Allen Bradley PLCs.


• Experience working with AutoCAD.

Working/ Employment Conditions

Working Conditions:

• The successful incumbent will be required to have a valid G driver's license.


• Daily travel within Halton Region may be required; incumbent must supply their own transportation.

Employment Conditions:

• The successful candidate will be made an offer of employment on condition that the Regional Municipality of Halton receives a current (obtained within the past six (6) months), original and acceptable Criminal Records Check, by the first day of employment.

Important information about your application:

• In accordance with requirements in Ontario Regulation 191/11 - Integrated Accessibility Standards and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Halton Region will accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process, please inform the Talent Acquisition representative of the nature of the accommodation(s) you require.


• We encourage applications from all qualified individuals; however, only those under consideration will be contacted.


• Personal information collected through the job application process will only be used for the purpose of determining qualifications for employment.

Halton Region serves more than 650,000 residents throughout Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. We are committed to delivering high quality programs and services that make Halton a great place to live and work. We engage great people who contribute to meaningful work that makes a positive difference in our community.