The History of LBP – article #6

Codewords 105: February 2022

Why do we need continuing professional development (CPD)?

 “The Government’s goal is a more efficient and productive sector that stands behind the quality of its work; a sector with the necessary skills and capability to build it right first time and that takes prides in its work; a sector that delivers good-quality, affordable homes and buildings and contributes to a prosperous economy; a well-informed sector that shares information and quickly identifies and corrects problems; and a sector where everyone involved in building work knows what they are accountable for and what they rely on others for.”

The Licensed Building Practitioners scheme was built around this statement, which, incidentally, is just as relevant in its concept today as when it was written prior to 2004. The part which says “a well-informed sector that shares information and quickly identifies and corrects problems” is the basis for what is arguably the single most contentious aspect of the scheme – CPD, or, as we know it, skills maintenance.

In August last year, the High Court in Wellington found that fundamental building errors and failures by builders to follow installation instructions were so significant, it was not possible for the 144 owners of leaky buildings to prove that a flaw in the fibre cement cladding product was the cause of their weathertightness problems. This failure to follow instructions was also alluded to in the 2002 Hunn Report into the weathertightness of buildings.

It is important to remember at this point, that the Hunn Report referred to the weathertightness issue as a “systemic failure”, where a wide range of things aligned to cause the problem – the rules, the design, district planning, building practices, training, the inspection regime, materials, product testing and appraisals, literature availability, accountabilities on site... there was no single factor to blame.

What is skills maintenance?

Nobody wants to do a job incorrectly or badly, but, the truth of it is, that if you have not read the manufacturer’s installation instructions and understand how and why that product works, this is going to be the inevitable outcome.

If the designer doesn’t do her or his homework they will potentially be specifying a component or system that is not really right for that situation, or if the building practitioner substitutes the specified one for something similar, then it’s going to be the same outcome – products and materials that are possibly not fit for purpose.

This is especially relevant today in light of the supply chain issues we have been encountering throughout the industry. The building consent authorities are being realistic in this regard, having additional resources available to determine which items or components may be substituted by others. The important thing is to talk to them before you change it.

To find this alternative component, a bit of research is needed – will the substituted product have similar characteristics to the original? Sometimes an expert is needed to provide the BCA with verification that it does, so talking to the designer in the first instance is vital. This is perfect skills maintenance territory – the research, the discussion with the experts and the council, and showing the apprentice or tradespeople how and why this was done and how it works.

In this case, you can cover both ‘On the job learning’ (the research and what you learnt) and ‘Elective activities’ (the teaching). For the LBP that is being shown, it is also an Elective activity.

The main thing about skills maintenance is recognising it – if you haven’t carried out a certain task before, or you last did it a long time ago and need to have another look at how it’s done – it’s probably skills maintenance. It’s that easy!

Watch out for a future article here for hints and examples of these learning opportunities.

There is also the issue of recording the skills maintenance once you’ve recognised it. With the technology we have today, it is a simple exercise – just search LBP on your phone, log in using RealMe, and click on Skills Maintenance on the left hand side of the screen.

This brings up everything you need – you can complete the quiz questions found at the bottom of this article, record the details of the trade breakfast you went to this morning, or, if you have a few minutes, you can complete the On The Job Learning section with what you have just learnt.

If you’re not able to do this on your phone, use the same procedure on your computer when you get home, or if you’re not that tech-savvy, write it in the back of your diary that day.

Once you get used to doing this regularly, you can keep up with your skills maintenance throughout the year with only a few minutes every couple of weeks, and it’s all there and complete at the end of your two-year skills maintenance cycle – no need to panic when you haven’t started it and you need to relicense next week - it’s already finished! Again, it’s that easy.

This brings this History of LBP series to an end. A number of LBPs were not even born when the journey began back in the 90s, and a lot of others have forgotten why the scheme come into being. The main reason for this series was to reinforce the necessity for us all to continue learning, whether it’s the big stuff or the small, it all comes down to the “well-informed sector that shares information and quickly identifies and corrects problems”.

How many times have you heard the boss say “you’ll learn something new on the building site every day…” – now that’s skills maintenance!

Quiz

1. What is the inevitable outcome of not reading the manufacturers installation instructions?
   
   1. Nothing – I did it this way last time and it worked
   2. Nothing – no-one will know
   3. The installation could very possibly be incorrect
   4. Nothing – it’ll be fine
      
      
2. Which of the following is not an example of skills maintenance?
   
   1. Researching a product I haven’t used before
   2. Studying up on something I did a long time ago, and have forgotten the details
   3. Showing the apprentice how to do something, and explaining why it needs to be done this way
   4. Buying a new ute
   5. Discussing a product substitution with the designer
      
      
3. Can you record your skills maintenance at any time using your mobile phone?
   
   1. No
   2. Yes