Licensing Update: Issue 4
Welcome …
Welcome to the fourth issue of the Department of Building and Housing’s Licensing Update, keeping you up to date on developments in the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme.
Feedback from the first three issues has been excellent, and we really appreciate the questions you are raising. They help us with our communication on the Scheme and with its design and implementation.
In this issue we cover:
- the licence card
- briefings for builders and designers.
We also answer the interesting questions you’ve been sending us over the last couple of months. Please keep them coming.
The licence card
Once the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme is up and running, licensed building practitioners will be issued with a plastic identification card. Members of the public will be able to ask to see a practitioner’s card. It’s expected to look something like this. Note the quality mark top left. The photo is of an actor.
Briefings for builders and designers
So far, about 10,000 designers and builders have attended events around the country organised to explain the Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme. Builders’ events have been mostly hosted by building suppliers and designers’ events by territorial authorities.
A second nationwide roadshow is planned for October and November 2007, at which application kits for the Design, Site and Carpentry classes will be available. The Schedule for these events will be available on the Department of Building and Housing website closer to the time. Prior to that, a booklet will be widely circulated providing detailed guidance to people deciding which licence to apply for.
Questions and Answers
The following are summaries of questions that we received in response to our third Licensing Update e-newsletter. We hope our answers are useful and we welcome further questions.
Question: Will project managers, construction managers and the like require registration? What will registration be based on (experience, qualifications, a test of knowledge etc)?
Answer: One of the roles that is going to be licensed is that of the Site Lead and there will be three levels of the Site licence class. In broad terms, a Site 1 licence can be thought of as for a builder, a Site 2 licence as for a site supervisor and a Site 3 licence as covering a construction manager. Project managers will NOT fall within this licensing scheme, if primarily they manage the organisational aspects of a project, rather than its construction.
Licences will be based on experience - work history, project records and client and technical referees. Qualifications will be good supporting evidence, as will membership of industry organisations, but they are neither necessary nor sufficient for a person to become licensed.
Question: I am a bricklayer. I have a full trade certificate. How do I go about gaining a licence? My two sons also work with me. One has just gained his apprenticeship papers and one is still an apprentice.
Answer: Licensing for bricklayers and blocklayers will not start until late 2008. The standards for this licence class are still being developed with the relevant industry organisations. Later this year, these draft standards will be distributed for wider industry consultation. For your son who is doing an apprenticeship, we would strongly recommend that he complete his apprenticeship and get his trade qualification before applying for a licence. That will put him in a very strong position for the future.
Question: I hope in 2008 to start a new partnership building architecturally designed houses. I am not a builder by trade, but have spent a lot of my adult life renovating my own and others’ properties, and regard myself as being more than a capable builder.
The bulk of building construction on these houses will be primarily performed by sub-contractors, but I would still like to be able to perform restricted building tasks on my own as I see fit. I would expect to ultimately acquire some form of site licensing. Can you advise me on a suitable career path for achieving these goals?
Answer: Licensing is based primarily on skills, knowledge and experience, and what you’ve done will be especially important. It would be wise to assemble good records in that regard.
If you work mainly on residential buildings, the most relevant licence classes would be Carpentry and/or Site 1. To be assessed for these classes, you would need to provide a work record (like a CV), project records that reflect the work you have done and the names of some technical referees and client testimonials.
Question: You say that a level 3 Design licence-holder can work on level 2 and level 1 etc and the same for Site licence levels. Is there any link between the Design levels and the Site levels, and can a Design 3 do all levels of work in both categories of Design and Site work?
Answer: The short answer is 'no'. A person with a Design 3 licence will NOT be able to do Site 3 work. The standards for these licence classes are quite different. Of course, a person can apply for both licence classes.
Question: What licence do I need as a self-employed builder?
Answer: In November 2007, voluntary licensing will begin for the Design, Site and Carpentry licence classes. If you are a self-employed builder, you will probably want a Site licence and also a Carpentry licence if you are personally undertaking or supervising carpentry work.
Question: I currently hold a Queensland Building Services Authority Low Rise Builder Licence. I have decided to return to live in New Zealand and want to work in the building industry. Could you assist please?
Answer: New Zealand and Australia recognise each others qualifications under a treaty called the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTMRA). This will extend to building practitioner licensing in late 2010.
Prior to that, you can still cite your Australian licence as supporting evidence, if you apply to be a licensed building practitioner in New Zealand.
Question: I am a qualified builder. I’m going overseas for 1 to 2 years and have heard that registration is coming. Could you let me know where to go from here, as I’ll be out of the country.
The Licensed Building Practitioner Scheme is being introduced on a voluntary basis on 1 November 2007. The decision whether or not to apply to be licensed is a personal one.
Answer: To be licensed, you will need to demonstrate that you have relevant and recent experience, skills and knowledge. You will need to supply project records showing what you’ve done, including one that has been completed in the last 3 years.
Application forms will be available from the Department of Building and Housing website and you could apply while offshore. Were a face-to-face meeting required, that would be more difficult. If you are away for only 2 years, waiting until you return would be just fine, but collecting some records of what you’ve been doing before you depart would be wise.
Question: I am currently working in a site management role and studying toward a diploma in construction management.
Once I pass my course, will I receive a licence as a site manager? Obviously I need to get the qualification from a recognised organisation.
Answer: Qualifications and practitioner licences are different. At some point in the future, getting a licence may be tied to a particular qualification, but that’s not going to be the case for the next few years.
People who apply for a Site licence will be assessed by trained assessors against the Site licence standard.
Applicants will need to provide evidence including a project history and technical referees. Qualifications will count as evidence of competency, but will not be sufficient on their own.