What Qualifications Do You Need To Be A Builder

A builders job is to coordinate, oversee, and work on construction, renovations, and repairs of various commercial or residential buildings.

More often than not, builders have to manage complete projects themselves while complying with specific safety regulations. Their tasks include organising and interpreting plans to meet client expectations and rules of the national construction codes.

Builders are also tasked with providing the quote for construction to the clients and submitting these plans to local council bodies. Once construction begins, they have to coordinate among contractors like carpenters, local pool builders and plumbers while handling some building work on their own.

Long story short, being a builder sounds like a complex job, and you might be wondering what qualifications are required to be a builder.

Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with all the details.

Qualifications For Builders

To become a builder, one must obtain Certificate IV in Building and Construction. It tests competency before deeming which candidates are fit to become licensed builders. Apart from that, there are some additional certificates needed.

Any aspiring builder has to get any one of these -

1. A current license for bricklaying and contract work, or a Supervisor Certificate
2. A diploma in Building and Construction
3. A bachelor’s degree in housing from any Australian University.

Alternatively, builders can obtain degrees in civil or structural engineering, housing, architecture, construction, construction economics and management, quantity surveying, and applied sciences in a building.

Some papers need to be submitted to obtain the relevant degrees. These include formal qualifications with direct relevance to the license class that aspiring builders apply for. To prove that they meet the standard requirements, one also has to turn in the usual documents like three references, identity proof, and financial information.

If a builder contracts under trading names, they have to submit a copy of the Record of Registration from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). If one is contracting under partnerships, proof of the same has to be shown.

Experience Needed For Builders

To become a builder, you’d need a minimum of two years of experience, which can be gained in the scope of work that ties in with the class of license you wish to apply for.

However, some also prefer to gain it through other work. But, in this case, the commission issuing the license has to be adequately satisfied that this matches the scope of work relevant to the license class.

To gain two years of experience, those who wish to be builders can perform various tasks. This includes doing some building work on Class 1 or a Class 10 building.

You might even work on buildings ranging from Class 2 to 9. But, in this case, the floor area must not exceed 2,000 square meters, and the construction can’t be Types A or B.

If you perform non-structural work on a building, that works in your favour as well. In such cases, the building’s class or total floor area doesn’t matter either. Aspiring builders can also try to create specifications and plans if these are for the licensee’s personal use or will be used by the licensee in the building work they’ll personally carry out.

Conditions of Builder Experience

While getting work experience is not too tricky (since builders are in high demand), certain conditions for the said experience to be considered valid while applying for a license. Firstly, whether you are a sub-contractor or an employee, the job has to be paid. Any unpaid work isn’t counted as experience and doesn’t help the application process.

An aspirant need not gain two years of experience in one complete chunk. They are allowed to have a few months of gap periods. But, from the date of application, the aspiring builders get ten years to complete a full two years of work experience.

Usually, licensed builders provide references that count as work experiences. Said individuals must possess either the Qualified Supervisor Certificate or an Individual Contractor Licence in the application process. Again, these must be in the same scope of work as the license class you apply for.

Final Words

It becomes clear that to try and be a builder, and you have to go through an arduous process. Much work experience is required, and the commission in charge of licenses thoroughly vet the applications. The validity of the experience is tested, and then the qualifications of the candidates are considered.

Since a builder has a lot of responsibility towards society and public safety, it is only fair that the most competent candidates become licensed builders. After all, professional builders are well-respected and bring in a commendable salary annually.

If you follow the simple steps outlined in this brief guide, you can achieve your dream of being a builder, too - with a little bit of hard work and determination!