Hello all Home Inspectors in Ontario! I want to assure you that Associations are in talks for Licensing and just because of this does not mean it will be “A done deal in Ontario”. Please be aware of any attempt to show that Licensing is coming as propaganda and does not sway you this way.
In our news letter at OntarioAchi we had the statement “License Is Coming to Ontario!” however it was stated with an exclamation mark on the end.This usually conveys strong feelings.
So to make it clear we still do not know!!!
As for the CSA setting up standards this is the same. I can say with confidence though that they are going to try. I stress try as I don’t think they are ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
Past reception to working with CSA has only provided proof that the home inspection industry in Canada is fractured.
Yes there are in my opinion far too many differences, and many not just a few that feel there is much at stake.
History has shown that ASTM tried this several years back in the U.S. That was met with the major inspection associations basically not accepting the idea of one “uniform” standard.
Will history repeat itself in Canada or not? Only time and support will tell. Will we ever find ways to work together or continue with ongoing battles towards self-destruction.
With the CSA proposed composition of home inspection representation compared to the balance of other representation, it looks like the deck will be stacked significantly with 6 members versus 26 others. Others such as realtors, contractors, bankers, goverment stakeholder, collectively to name a few will have equally if not as much input. I’m not saying its wrong, I simply see it as potentially unfair.
As Kevin stated, I too believe there are many challenges that lie ahead. Again my POV - why focus on home inspector licensing in Ontario when there are other construction and renovation related companies that should be licensed? Who really presents the greater risk?
I think we can expect more schools turning out more Inspectors from what I read in the Budget yesterday .
Hopefully not - don’t we have enough already?
I’ve communicated with some that indicate that their market is slow. Some have even retired their business and now work elsewhere at least to collect a steady pay cheque.
I had one today asking about his potential to make it if he went through training as a second career candidate. I believe the skills shortage in other areas such as the construction trades and even now in the Windsor market - manufacturing.
I’m not saying your wrong Roy, but not all training schools believe in making money over exaggerating the reality of the current market. It’s more about directing people to where the skills shortages really exist.
I agree Claude and feel the “Home Inspection Technician Diploma” was to help fill in the gaps however according to what I see this has created more problems so they changed the name of the training to Home Construction Technician- Home Inspector.
But this just happened and it is too late.
When it was Carson Dunlop Home Inspection Certificate all the students new they needed to go to an Association of their choice to finish off the training.
Now because they feel the Diploma was all they needed they could just do what they want even though it was expressed by the Dean the teaching was to point them to a Home Inspection Association and be further trained.
Now if a survey was taken as to where these students are it may prove something but you will never see it.
Now my question is!!! Who is the one that said we need more Home Inspectors to fill in the gaps?
Checking the latest number of RhI’s within OAHI and the numbers have
fallen from a high of 263 to currently 251.
In 2002 there were 202 RHI’s over the last 11 years that is not a
significant progression of advancement from lower ranks
(4.5 per year)!
Keep the members advancement down in order to milk the members for
OAHI educational classes… $$$$$ …
OAHI collects dues from OAHI members and then sends approximately $99K
a year to CAHPI. OAHI is cash poor.
How could they survive without new students to milk constantly.
No advertising and certainly cannot be seen to be a non profit association and plowing money back into membership benefits.
[FONT=Calibri]But then again we all knew that didn’t we.
[/FONT]
Updated Friday, Mar. 22, 2013 8:38AM EDT OTTAWA – Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is promising to balance the books without delving deeper into government coffers, by shuffling resources to boost skills training, infrastructure projects and the manufacturing industry.
Flaherty’s 2013 federal budget, released Thursday, proposes a new Canada Job Grant that will provide up to $5,000 per person for job training – an amount that must be matched by provinces or territories and employers for a total of $15,000.
The goal is to match unemployed Canadians with more than 220,000 current job vacancies across Canada and provide more job opportunities for disabled people, youth and aboriginals.
he grants will have to be negotiated as part of the annual $500-million labour market agreements between Ottawa and provinces. The current agreements don’t expire for another year.
“I think that if and when there is a new training program, it won’t look anything like this because the provinces will have a big say in it,” economist and Queen’s University professor Don Drummond told CTVNews.ca.
“We may need welders and plumbers today, but what if we don’t tomorrow?” he said of the push to churn out more skilled workers.
.
Write your comment here :
As an HVAC worker and business owner for 25 years I can attest that there is not steady employment in this trade. There wasn’t over 20 years ago!!! I personally know of many looking for work now including electricians,machinists plumbers, millwrights and HVAC Even machinists are on the low end know as shops have automated CNC machines and use one licensed machinist to supervise/setup a bunch of young base workers.This is just one example. Just get around and talk to 2nd career inductees who are still looking for the work they trained in over 3 years ago Just plain a lot even got laid off when last slowdown hit and never got full time again.
Not one single individual joined OAHI in Sault Ste Marie Ontario from the “Home Inspection technician Diploma”
Only one of the students trained for the Carson Dunlop “Home Inspection Certificate” went to OAHI and is still only an Associate yet does Home Inspections here.
2 others have been Inspecting and one is a Real Estate Agent, they went to NACHI.
Now one company that is a Contract firm has started doing Home Inspections I guess on the side and is also NACHI.
Thanks Kevin .
Can you tell me how many where in the course and for how many years.
This could confirm what I see in the Belleville area .
Loyalist teaches the C&D course and has almost none who have become home Inspectors over many years.
This seems to be the same as OAHI much time effort and money spent for almost zero returns.
This is so sad to see so many invest a lot of time and money to see it all for not .
2 Year course for “Home Inspection Technician Diploma” was I believe 32 how many passed or quit I can’t tell you.
1 Year “Carson Dunlop Home Inspection Certificate” was 15 passed and 2 quit.
Currently enrolled I would guess at 24 for the new changed course.
Notice also that comment section is closed.
Sault College is renovating a construction program name just two years after the course of study’s creation was endorsed by Canada’s Most Trusted Contractor.
A two-year home inspection program, backed by Mike Holmes in early 2011, will be retitled residential construction technician – home inspection in September 2014.
The title change won’t nail students who want to work as home inspectors, says the college’s dean of natural environment, technology and skilled trades.
“They have all the training they need to work as home inspectors,” Colin Kirkwood told The Sault Star after the college’s board of governors approved the name change on Thursday.
“If graduates aren’t working as home inspectors it is because they’re not trained.”
The board approved the new monicker following a short presentation by Kirkwood. The curriculum, about 90% of which relates to residential construction with courses such as residential wiring, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, remains the same. There are three specific home inspection courses.
“Most of the learning is relating to residential construction,” said Kirkwood.
“It was designed that way so that students would be better home inspectors. If they know how to build houses, they know how to inspect houses.”
That approach to instruction, he added, “came from Mike Holmes.”
An advisory committee that oversees the program “discussed and recommended” the name change, a rationale given to the board says.
“It’s quite normal for programs to evolve and as we get the experience with what the job market looks like, and what student expectations are like and what employers have as far as employment goes, then we just adjust accordingly,” said Kirkwood.
Sault College launched Ontario’s first two-year home inspection diploma program with great fanfare in January 2011.
The college’s gymnasium was packed for an appearance by Holmes, creator and host of HGTV’s Holmes on Homes.
In a video from that event posted alongside the program’s description on the college’s website, Holmes says the program “makes total sense to me” and will teach students “what they need to know.”
The program’s first graduating class is this spring. About 20 students have signed up for the program in each of the two years it has run.
“We are requesting a change to the program name to better reflect the curriculum in the program,” reads a name change rationale given to the governors.
“Students are primarily receiving residential construction training with some speciality courses relating to home inspection. The revised title is a better reflection of the curriculum focus.”
Amanda Heath, a spokesperson for Mike Holmes Inspections, said the organization is part of the program advisory committee and supports the name change.
“Since the two areas are so closely related the name change makes sense,” said Health. “This change hopes to broaden the appeal of the program and to** increase enrolment**. In order to be a good home inspector you need to understand construction and this will provide students with a solid foundation in both disciplines.”
Heath said MHI is happy with the Sault College program and the feedback they’ve received from students. MHI has brought on two co-op students from the college program.
b.kelly@sunmedia.ca
If you don’t know what MHI stands for ask any professional Home Inspector.