The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) wants to see an overhaul of the Real Estate Council of Ontario’s (RECO) mandatory continuing education (CE) program.
“Continuing education is an important part of maintaining high professional standards in the real estate industry,” says Ettore Cardarelli, president of OREA. “The current system is failing Realtors and consumers. It’s time for a new vision.”
RECO took over continuing education in 2013 and moved the program completely online. Since then, the quality of the courses has deteriorated, says OREA. “Content is infrequently updated and puts too much emphasis on convenience over important industry information. There is also no pass or fail requirement for the CE program, meaning a registrant could answer every question incorrectly and still make it through the course.”
The OREA REBBA Review Taskforce is asking for feedback on several proposals, including:
- Enhancing the program by putting CE in the classroom
- Making the CE program pass/fail
- Requiring CE exams that are taken in person at an approved testing centre
- Allowing colleges, universities and third-party providers universities to offer RECO-approved courses
OREA is releasing four white papers designed to encourage member discussion and feedback, which will inform the final recommendations that OREA presents to the government. Members can go to www.REBBAreform.ca and submit feedback.
