Compulsory continuing professional development in the building and construction industry

CCPD explained

The building and construction industry is always changing. To stay ahead, licensees and industry stakeholders need to keep up-to-date with what affects their work. Industry professionals should know about the latest changes to legislation trends and standards. 

Compulsory continuing professional development (CCPD) is also called professional industry training. This training helps workers understand how to comply with legislation, including safety obligations, meet their business and legal obligations if they are a contractor, along with other technical information they need for their work, such as the National Construction Code. 

Some professionals, such as private certifiers, architects and engineers, are already required to do continuing professional development. Currently, there is no CCPD framework for the broader Queensland building and construction industry, or specifically, for QBCC licensees. The goal is to have a CCPD scheme soon to support the Queensland industry. 

CCPD expects to benefit licensees and the industry by: 

• improving workers’ skills within the building and construction industry 
• maintaining and improving competence in business, trade, professional and safety skills  
• keeping up-to-date on emerging issues and methodologies
• delivering a high standard of building work and reducing building defects
• improving the reputation of the industry and its workers.

What’s happened so far

Given the high level of support across the building and construction industry stakeholders, a CCPD framework was developed and supported by the Ministerial Construction Council, chaired by the Hon. Minister de Brenni, Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen and Minister for Public Works and Procurement. 

The QBCC trialled this CCPD framework by delivering a free voluntary CCPD pilot program from June 2021 to November 2021. During this pilot project, QBCC licensees attended online courses and completed related assessments. Topics were: 

• Minimum Financial Requirements and Annual Financial Reporting 
• Safety Obligations. 

Over 160 industry participants took part in the CCPD pilot project, with attendees from all over Queensland, including regional communities, as well as participants from interstate. The demand was high, with initial training course registrations filling up within 22 minutes of release. 

Participants were asked to complete pre and post-course surveys to give the QBCC feedback and suggestions on course content, delivery, assessment and other aspects of the course. This feedback is vital to developing future courses relevant to the industry.

We thank participants and QBCC subject matter experts who gave valuable insights in developing and implementing the courses. 

Next steps

Data and insights from the project will be reported and shared with the Department of Energy and Public Works to help prepare a Regulatory Impact Statement. This is a statement issued to industry before government policy is put into legislation. 

If CCPD is legislated in Queensland, then QBCC licensees will need to comply with professional development requirements before renewing their licence.

Stay informed by regularly checking for the Regulatory Impact Statement on the QBCC and Department of Energy and Public Works website during the coming year.  

Potential impact on QBCC licensees

If CCPD becomes legislated in Queensland, QBCC licensees will need to comply. Licensees will need to complete compulsory continuing professional development requirements before they renew their licence. CCPD compliance will mean gaining a specified number of compulsory continuing professional development points before their licence renewal date.