Impressive response to licensing scheme launch

The Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme was formally launched on 1 November, and the Department of Building and Housing has already seen high levels of interest from practitioners wanting application packs.

Around 4000 application packs were distributed to interested practitioners within the first four weeks of them being available. The Department has also started receiving completed application packs from practitioners eager to become licensed.

The Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme was formally launched by the then Minister for Building and Construction, Clayton Cosgrove at a function attended by building sector representatives.

The Minister noted that 'the scheme breaks new ground by making it possible for people working in the building industry to have their skills, knowledge and experience formally recognised, in many cases for the first time. In order to be licensed, applicants will have to demonstrate they have those credentials, and that they are competent to do the job.

'Occupational licensing is for people who take pride in their work; for people who want to take responsibility, not just for the quality of their own work, but also for the work of the people they supervise.'

From November 2010, a licensed building practitioner will be required to carry out or supervise specific restricted work on homes and other buildings. Restricted work will be defined in the coming months in consultation with industry.

However, practitioners can now apply for the first seven of the 13 licences being introduced. These licences apply to designers, builders, site supervisors, construction managers and carpenters.

^{Former Building and Construction Minister Hon Clayton Cosgrove shows off an oversized licence at a function on 1 November launching the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme. Mr Cosgrove presented application packs to carpenter Nathan Hughes (centre), builder David Jacquiery (left) at a residential building site in Wellington, and to designer John Anderson.}

There are three licences for designers, depending on the complexity of buildings being worked on. Registered architects and chartered professional engineers are deemed to hold a Design 3 licence and can therefore design all three building categories. Likewise, the three licences for site leads relate to the complexity of the building work, while the seventh licence is for carpentry.

Another six classes of licence should be introduced before the end of next year when the opportunity is extended to external plasterers, roofers, bricklayers and blocklayers, and specialists in concrete structure, steel structure and building services.

Working groups are expected to meet from next February and the 'competencies' for these six new licence classes are likely to be added to the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme Rules by July 2008.

In the meantime, the licensing scheme is live, and the Department is looking forward to processing applications over the coming months.

^{Keen applicant Jamie O'Leary (right) from Wanganui made the effort to come to the Department on 1 November and personally hand in his Carpentry and Site 2 applications to Processing Services Team Leader Tristin McCleary.}