- Courses go through DMIRS to get approval
- Can be applied for via a standard form from government
- CPD points are entered onto DMIRS, automatically recognising compliance
As real estate agents, we have to complete CPD courses each calendar year. There are several companies and institutes that the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) authorises to provide the required training.
Getting courses approved
Robin Ram from Aspire Performance Training told us that DMIRS sets some key expectations for what continuing professional development (CPD) needs to be.
Electives can be a bit more open in what is allowed, but it has to meet some key parameters that are set by DMIRS, concerning industry best practice, working for the consumer, complaint resolution, legislation based topics, and things that promote professionalism within the industry that we operate.
From idea to reality
Loving Legislation was one of the courses developed last year by Aspire PT, giving an overview of the main acts that have to be followed in real estate.
“We submit an application – there’s a standard form that’s available from the government – we then put an application in and say we’d like the course to be three and a half hours, cover three and a half points, cover these certain aspects so that it links to their [DMIRS] key objectives,” said Mr Ram.
“We then provide an overview of how that session is going to flow for the day, how long we’re going to talk about the code of conduct, the privacy act, Australian consumer law for example,” continued Mr Ram.
The application is then reviewed, and depending on the application, the course may be granted the full three and a half CPD points, or if some parts of the course do not meet the requirements, perhaps two CPD points may be granted.
Mr Ram added that if the latter is the case, the team will go back and rework the course to ensure it will achieve three and a half CPD points for three and a half hours, where both DMIRS and ultimately the consumer is happy.
Delivering the course
Once the outline has been approved, Mr Ram said Aspire PT will write the content and align the content with the approval. A facilitator guide is created, which allows for consistency between trainers so that multiple trainers are able to deliver the course.
“We give them a template on how we want that course delivered in order to meet the DMIRS erquirements”
Robin Ram, Aspire Performance Training
A PowerPoint is also provided.
The course is then checked and approved internally, and then marketed to the industry.
How is CPD reported?
After the session is complete, trainers will take the attendance list and enter it into the DMIRS back-end.
“We will go onto the person’s name, we will tick the box to say that you’ve done your CPD points, so then you’re compliant on their system automatically. There’s nothing [the participant] needs to do.”
The trainers then process the certificate for the course and send it through to the participant.