I am a man that wears many hats. First and foremost I am a resident of Virginia. Second, I am a licensed tradesman in all of the trades holding a Master level as well as a class A builder.  Third, I am a small business owner with a class A rating in the plumbing, heating, air conditioning & electrical business. Forth, I have been for the past 13 years the chairman of the Peninsula Qualified Gas Contractors Association. I helped develop along with others the continuing education program currently in use and I am an instructor for them. Fifth, I am an educator as the president of A+ Tradesman Continuing Education a firm that offers all of the current classes in all three of the genres.

I take very seriously all the positions I hold as public health and safety is first and foremost in all I do. This has been my charge for almost 40 years. In my position I speak with thousands of tradesman and the most asked question is “Do I need a current code book to take this class?”. This to me opens the door so I ask” what the most current code book you have”, and in most cases it was the code book used at the time they tested for their license.

What is wrong with this picture it is the duty of all tradesman to stay current but what compels them to. Prior to the mandate tradesmen learned by rejection from the building inspectors. Is this in the best interest of the public safety I think not. Further a previous board saw the need and drafted a very comprehensive CE program requirement and now this board is proposing to eliminate it for all the trades accept electrical. WHY? Have conditions changed? NO! Has the workforce gotten smarter and more conscientious? NO. Is public safety no longer an issue? If so why do you serve as board members, or require permits to do the work. It’s because we both agree it’s for the PUBLIC SAFETY of consumers. The only other reason we haven’t talked about is the cost of record keeping. The trades are not the only professionals requiring continuing education so the cost saving to eliminate this small part of the whole picture will be negligible since the system is already in place. What about the cost to the tradesmen for the 3 hour requirement in a two year span. It takes less time to tie your shoes or brush your teeth over the two years and the cost of an online class starts at $27.00. So exactly what is public safety worth this is your charge as a board member. It is always easier to destroy than create.

I find it ironic my wife who is a realtor licensed in Virginia and sells homes she is required to have 5 times the continuing education as any one of the trades that builds it!

It is my hope that the Continuing Education for all the trades continues as it is today.  With only one alteration extend the license period to three years to coincide with the code cycle. It is your job as board members to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public and this elimination in the code will be counterproductive to your duty to the public.

Thank you for your consideration and the opportunity go give you my thoughts