Training for Continuing Professional Development

Learn how your organization can be approved to provide training for CPD for residential builders in B.C.

Education providers can supply both formal and informal training towards Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points. For those activities to be approved for CPD credit, they must meet these requirements:

• Be relevant to residential construction
• Include verifiable attendance

Training must be relevant to one of the following areas:

1. Relevant enactments (i.e. the purpose of the BC Building Code and BC Fire Code, including the Vancouver Building Bylaw, and how they apply to residential construction)
2. Construction management and supervision, including project planning, cost estimating, scheduling, materials procurement, scope of work changes, contingency planning, site reporting, site safety and staff/contractor management
3. Construction technology, including building durability, control of heat and moisture flow, building envelope features, mechanical systems and structural components, and the effect of climate and soil conditions
4. Customer service and home warranty insurance, including maintaining positive customer relations, implementing a customer service plan and responding to defects identified under a home warranty insurance policy
5. Financial planning and budget management, including basic accounting, construction financing and contingency planning
6. Legal issues, including contract and consumer protection law, the land title registry, obligations respecting insurance and home warranty insurance, builder liability, the Homeowner Protection Act and Builders Lien Act, dispute resolution, and the effect of provincial enactments and municipal bylaws
7. Business planning and management, including strategic business planning, management and administration
8. Business ethics, which could include topics such as corporate governance, reputation, bribery, discrimination, corporate social responsibility and fiduciary responsibilities

Students will earn two CPD points per hour of formal learning and one CPD point per hour of informal learning.  In order to qualify for CPD points, the course must be a minimum of one hour in duration.  General contractor licensees are required to obtain a minimum of 20 points annually to meet their CPD requirements.

Formal training

Formal training includes structured courses or educational sessions that require successful and verifiable completion of a graded exam or assignment. Formal training can only be offered by:

• A university as defined in the University Act, the Royal Roads University Act or the Thompson Rivers University Act
• An institution as defined in the College and Institutions Act
• The Canadian Construction Gold Seal Program
• The Canadian Home Builders Association of British Columbia
• The Independent Contractors and Business Association
• The Urban Development Institute of British Columbia
• A local or regional association of one of the above organizations
• An educational body or professional body, in B.C. or another jurisdiction, that the Registrar recognizes as equivalent

Informal training

Informal training includes attending a conference, webinar or workshop that’s relevant to the construction industry. It also includes attending a professional or construction industry association meeting, where the main purpose is to provide training in one or more of the CPD competency areas.

Another type of informal training could be a seminar provided by a manufacturer of a material or product used in residential construction. In this scenario, the main purpose of the seminar must be to explain the proper use or installation of the product or material. Employers may also offer training if it is relevant to the residential construction industry and focuses on one or more of the CPD competency areas.

As long as attendance is verifiable, training can take place in many different locations and formats. Informal training covers a wide variety of training options, from webinars to online distance learning.

Any of the recognized training providers who deliver formal training may also offer informal training opportunities.

Verifiable attendance

Education providers must keep a record of actual verifiable attendance. An applicant who simply registers for a course or seminar, but does not fully attend the session, is not sufficient to meet requirements and they will not be eligible for CPD points.

The education provider must provide a record of course/seminar completion to the attendee and keep it for at least three years, in case the attendee is audited. Proof of attendance must include:

• A description of the activity
• When the activity took place
• The organization delivering the activity
• The learning method, such as classroom or online
• The number of hours attended

Only verifiable hours of attendance count for CPD points. Attendees cannot claim points for homework and related reading, breaks or exam time.

If an education provider wants to offer online training or a webinar, they must use a training platform that tracks when the attendee starts and ends the course, as well as their participation throughout the course.  For example, including mandatory poll questions or quizzes throughout the webinar will help track active participation. Online training that incorporates interactive elements will encourage users to remain attentive and engaged during the session. The student should not be able to skip through to the end of the online training.

Getting approved to supply CPD training

If your organization would like to become an approved education provider for CPD, email us at [email protected]. You must provide:

• Information on the offering institution
• Sample of one of your course outlines
• Information about how you intend to track attendance and verify course completion
• Brief explanation on how you intend to market your course and a link to your website

Getting courses approved for CPD training

If your organization is approved to supply CPD training, we'll send you a link to the Education Provider Portal. This is where you submit courses for our review to ensure they meet the CPD criteria. You must provide: 

• The course syllabus
• The number of hours of training provided in each competency area 
• Details of the dates, times and locations of the course
• Information on how participation is verified
• Details of how the exam or assignment is graded, if applicable
• Notification of whether the offering is publicly available

Approval granted

Once we approve an education provider, they can start submitting courses for our review.  When a course is approved, we will then update the Education Registry.  The registry features a comprehensive list of BC Housing pre-approved education providers and training. It’s an excellence online resource for builders looking for training opportunities.  We update the registry to showcase the latest offerings and all courses listed qualify for the CPD program.

Search by:

• Offering name
• Provider name
• Offering type
• Training format
• City
• Area
• Competency area

Please visit our Continuing Professional Development page to learn more about the requirements.