Continuing Professional Development Coming for Real Estate Professionals

Persons in the Real Estate industry will join a growing list of professionals required to engage in continuing professional development (CPD), with the Real Estate Board set to introduce CPD courses through its Real Estate Training Institute, starting in May 2017.

These courses are being offered in preparation for the 2018/2019 licencing year which starts April 1, 2018.

Practitioners will be required to do at least 20 hours of such courses every two years which will consist of mandatory and optional courses for Dealers, salesmen and developers.

Mandatory courses will contribute eight hours while the remaining twelve hours will come from optional courses.

According to the Board’s CEO, Sandra Watson, continuing professional development is important because it ensures that persons continue to be competent in their profession.

“CPD has benefits for the individual, their profession and the public. While the pre-qualifying training exposes and acquaints persons with the pertinent areas of their respective field, there are certain areas that time will not allow us to explore. Also, similar to other professions, there are new trends and developments which practitioners would benefit greatly from being exposed to.”

Mrs. Watson further explained that both salesmen and dealers will have the opportunity to pursue a range of timeshare courses as well as courses related to strata arrangements and the Registration (Strata Titles) Act – neither of which are currently covered during pre-qualifying training.

“It is my belief that professions that mandate or encourage continuing professional development are more likely to engender trust and confidence in the minds of the public”, Mrs. Watson concluded.

A range of professions locally and abroad such as nursing, law and medicine currently require continuing professional development.

These are delivered in a variety of ways which may be structured and offered in a classroom setting as in this case, or through attendance of conferences or affiliation with recognised, professional organisations.