Construction Supervisor License
Continuing Education Requirements
The Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) is pleased to announce that it has approved continuing education requirements for licensed construction supervisors. Over the last several months, BBRS staff has been reviewing applications submitted by those seeking approval to coordinate education programs.
July 1, 2011 is the line of demarcation for licensees to comply with education requirements as established below. Licensees who renew a license or are issued a first-time license on or after July 1, 2011 shall be expected to fully comply with education requirements following a full two-year cycle or elongated first-time license cycle (a first-time license cycle may extend beyond two years depending on the licensees birth date). Licensees who renew or are issued a first-time license prior to July 1, 2011 will be on a different schedule. Examples are provided below to help clarify when licensees are affected.
Example No. 1: John Smith renews his license on July 1, 2011. He next renews on July 1, 2013. Is he required to comply with continuing education requirements? Yes, because a full two-years has passed since his last renewal.
Example No. 2: John Smith renews his license on June 30, 2011. He next renews on June 30, 2013. Is he required to comply with continuing education requirements? No, a full two-year cycle has not been completed since the July 1, 2011 implementation date. He then renews on June 30, 2015, is he required to comply with continuing education requirements? Yes.
For those who may not be familiar, the legislature recently authorized the BBRS to approve continuing education requirements for construction supervisor licensees. The empowering legislation establishes a Continuing Education Council whose members are charged with developing continuing education requirements. Rather than reinvent the wheel, council members looked towards other states for guidance in developing requirements for the commonwealth. After reviewing procedures already in place in several other states, council members agreed to use Minnesota continuing education requirements as the model for Massachusetts.
Over several months, council members reviewed Minnesota requirements, word by word, line by line modifying their regulations to suit Massachusetts' needs. According to the regulation, licensed construction supervisors must acquire a certain number of continuing education hours each 2 year renewal period based upon license category as identified below.
Unrestricted Construction Supervisors License 12 Hours
Restricted Construction Supervisors License 10 Hours
Specialty Construction Supervisors License 6 Hours
Masonry
Roofing
Windows / Siding
Demolition
Burning Fuel
Insulation
Courses and course coordinators are required to be approved by the BBRS in order to convene continuing education classes. Ultimately, a licensee will have a host of methods available to choose from to achieve compliance. A local technical college, for example, may apply for and receive approval to act as a course coordinator, and then provide varied courses presented by instructors approved by the program regulations as part of their ongoing continuing education program. Home builder associations may also apply for and receive approval as a coordinator and then hire approved instructors to present material as part of their regular monthly meetings as a service to their membership. These are just a few examples.
Approved coordinators and courses of instruction will be posted on the DPS website during the month of September. Please refer to the website towards the end of September for more information about approved courses and coordinators and see sample questions and answers below for clarity as to how continuing education requirements affect a licensee.
Question: Who must file for approval?
Answer: Only the Course Coordinator must submit an application for approval. The Course Coordinator is defined by the regulation as the person who is registered with the BBRS and who is responsible for supervising the program and ensuring compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.
Question: Does the Course Coordinator need to meet any particular qualifications?
Answer: The regulation does not define qualifications for Course Coordinators. Instead, it defines responsibilities (see Special Regulation Section 5.4.9). A Course Coordinator may be a person or an institution or organization. For instance, sole proprietor, John Smith may apply for approval, so too may Wentworth Institute, Springfield Technical Community College, or any of the varied building official or building contractor associations. In short, the process is available to any person or organization that can provide quality education to licensees as intended by the regulation. Course Coordinators will be issued an identification number that will be referenced in all materials and
course offerings provided by that coordinator.
Question: What about the program instructor, does he\she need to file an application for approval under the program?
Answer: No. The Course Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that only qualified individuals are used to deliver approved course materials. Special Regulation Section 5.4.10 specifies definitive qualifications for course instructors. Course Coordinators are expressly responsible for confirming qualifications prior to course offering.
Question: What about courses, do they need to be approved prior to offering?
Answer: Yes. The regulation expressly requires courses to be approved prior to offering. Courses will also be identified by a specific approval number. Course approval numbers must be clearly identified on all materials relating to the course.
Question: Are there specific, mandated topics that must be addressed as part of a course offering?
Answer: Yes, see Special Regulation Section 5.4.3
Questions: Are there courses that will not be considered for approval?
Answer: Yes, see Special Regulation Section 5.4.6.
Question: Each application (Course Coordinator and Course Approval Form) establishes a fee structure. Are these fees paid by the applicant or the licensee?
Answer: The application fees as identified on the referenced applications are payable to the commonwealth by the applicant for administrative services rendered to process the applications, issue approvals and maintain programmatic information. The fees do not relate in any way to how much a licensee will pay to attend a particular course. Course fees for attendees (licensees) will be established by Course Coordinators. Fees should be reasonably established to reflect and be commensurate with the level of education provided.
Question: What happens if a licensee fails to comply with continuing education requirements as defined by this schedule?
Answer: The license will be considered null and void and will be so noted in the agency's license data base and internet search engine. The licensee will be required to take and pass the requisite level exam in order to regain licensure in the system.
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