BPB plans to nail the new and aspiring Council-accredited employees in 2013
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- Published: Thursday, 25 August 2011 13:35
It would have been unrealistic to assume that the relatively benign process established by the BPB to accredit council employees would continue forever. It would also be unrealistic to expect that the zealots on the BPB might contemplate how the accreditation of council employees process has gone, whether it has added value to the quality of development control and the construction of buildings, or whether it has been largely irrelevant, before they went any further.
But no. The BPB remains committed to rolling new council employees, or employees trying to upgrade their category of accreditation, over to exactly the same qualification and experience requirements as private certifiers.
This, despite the industry having told them for years that while private certifiers do certifying full-time, council employees do many, many other things. While requirements for someone doing something full-time may need to be rigorous because if they don't do anything else they don't need training or qualifications in those other areas, forcing that degree of rigour onto someone who does it only for part of the job, makes no sense.
As part of our regular meetings with the BPB, CEO Neil Cocks warned us prior to our last meeting on 25 July that the Board was interested in feedback on the Board's proposals for new accredited certifiers in councils and those upgrading their category of accreditation.
Please note, existing employees not wanting to upgrade their the level of accreditation will not be affected.
They also wanted some feedback on increasing CPD requirements after 2013 to bring them into line with the 30 hour requirements per annum for private certifiers. We think that’s fine because the Award ensures you get paid for it and it will make it easier to get progression in the salary system because of this more intense skills training.
Clearly Neil is a big tease because when we went met with them on 25 July and provided feedback that this would just be another nail in the coffin of building control by council employees, BPB Chair Sue Holliday said the Board was committed to it and going to do it anyway. So there.
Maybe only Neil and the silent members of the Board wanted the feedback.
Nice of them to ask.
This issue falls within the ambit of the EP&A Act Review and we have already made our views known there. So should you.