By Paula Irvine, General Manager - Real Estate, Kaplan Professional
The answer is in 2 parts:
Agency practice is constantly changing - the law, technology, industrial relations and agency practice issues to name a few recent changes. The only way agents can stay abreast of these changes to the industry is to stay informed through training – CPD is a great way to do this! However not all CPD is developed with agents in mind therefore agents find it difficult to find current CPD workshops that are suitable for them or at a time and place that is convenient. Agents need to “shop around” for their training and in particular CPD training.
Paula is a highly respected real estate agent with over 25 years of experience across the real estate industry and in property education and training.
CPD training should be relevant, current and add to your knowledge or ability to do the job. So you need to ask the questions:
Is the training designed for agents by providers who know and understand the industry?
What does the training cover? Is it relevant?
Is it flexible – can I do my training anywhere? Anytime?
How will it help me do my job as an agent?
The answers to these questions will help ensure that you undertake training that is useful and value for money. For agents, CPD should cover such things as changes to legislation including recent court and tribunal decisions, privacy, industrial relations, managing your buyers, sellers and agency, dealing with conflict, managing expectations, inspections and of course compliance with the relevant agency and tenancy law.
CPD training can and should be tailored for each sector of the property industry, residential sales, commercial and industrial practice, asset management and property management. Agents need to be discerning purchasers of CPD as it has a variety of rules and guidelines, points and formats. Each state has its own variation. Agents need to talk to a provider who understands the requirements and provides accurate and timely advice – remember if you get it wrong, it’s your license at risk. All points (whether it is 4, 8, 10 or 12) can be completed in numerous ways for a great variety of prices.
An example is Hot Points for $99 – check it out! Hot Points and online learning at Kaplan make CPD relevant and reduce the time needed away from the office – an important consideration for busy agents.
At Kaplan, we tailor CPD for agents. We join with industry partners. Kaplan provides choice and works with agents to ensure that not only do they complete their CPD points as required, they do so in a cost effective manner with training that provides a personalised, valuable and relevant learning experience.
Complete your CPD points online (NSW, ACT, WA and TAS) Call REA on 1300 367 412 for your free audio CD.
1 Listen, 2 Click, 3 Complete.