(Part 3 of 4)
Submitted by Jill Corfield: corfield@mweb.co.za
By actively committing yourself to participating in the mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme estate you demonstrate:
a commitment to achieving and maintaining the highest levels of performance excellence;
passion and dedication to advancing yourself in your career of choice;
a culture of learning and improvement as a professional and a law-abiding citizen;
an enduring interest in the estate agency and general property sectors;
awareness of relevant trends and developments within sector in respect of products, services, statutory legislative compliance and the building and retention of efficient and effective strategies and business management systems; and
skills and competence in the establishment, management, control and expansion of successful estate agency enterprises.
The issue of fidelity fund certificates to estate agents will henceforth evidence a positive commitment by the holders of such certificates to the estate agency profession, the relevant estate agency enterprise and the personal development of that estate agent. CPD compliance is a valid indicator that estate agency professionals are aware, informed, passionate and committed to the advancement of their profession. The new CPD requirement is likely to increase public pressure on non-registered estate agents to regularise their status. Non- or under-qualified persons practicing illegally as estate agents will not easily be tolerated by either prospective clients or stakeholders.
Extent: the required level of CPD for practicing estate agents
The Education Regulations require that the CPD programme must be reasonable and be completed over a rolling three year cycle. The EAAB has, therefore, determined that estate agents will initially be required to complete 60 CPD points over the rolling three year cycle with one point equating to one hour of CPD. It may, of course, prove necessary for the EAAB to adjust the envisaged CPD allocation in due course depending on such factors as complexity, availability and duration of any particular CPD activity.
Mix: the compulsory CPD activities for practicing estate agents
While estate agents will generally be granted a significant degree of freedom in selecting appropriate CPD activities, the education and training component of the CPD will be made mandatory for all estate agents. A CPD calendar will be complied by the EAAB, in liaison with sector specific professional bodies, at the commencement of each calendar year. Estate agents will be required to diarise their chosen CPD activities and also ensure that they duly attend the various CPD activities that they have selected.
Compulsory CPD activities will comprise the specified education established by the EAAB and delivered by EAAB approved and accredited continuing education providers.
