The Latest Updates to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) You Should Know About

With increasing consumer expectation, there is greater demand placed on real estate salespersons (RESs) and staying current with skills and knowledge is the only way forward.

Key Executive Officers (KEOs) and RESs can look forward to better quality courses to provide them with skills and knowledge they require, with improved learning experiences, thanks to the enhanced accreditation criteria for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses that came into effect from mid-September 2024.

This is one of the recommendations made by the Project ADEPT (Advancing and Enhancing Professionalism and Training) workgroup.

Here are three things to note about the latest updates on CPD if you are a KEO, RES or an aspiring CPD trainer!

1. The Enhanced Accreditation Criteria for Professional Competencies under Structured Learning Courses is already in effect

CEA has started to accept course applications from CPD course providers for Structured Learning* (including Prescribed Essentials) under the enhanced accreditation criteria. This allows KEOs and RESs to benefit from having the choice to attend these new courses before the 2025-2026 CPD cycle, when the annual CPD requirement increases to 16 training hours.

The new courses will be designed to enhance the learning experience for better engagement and reinforce understanding. These courses will have better course designs, improved class engagement activities and assessment components.

This will enhance the overall learning experience and equip participants with the necessary skillsets and competencies to perform their duties professionally.

By attending these new courses, course participants can earn up to four Professional Competencies credits for the current CPD cycle ending 30 September 2025.

From 1 October 2025, the CPD requirement will be recognised in terms of training hours rather than credits. Consequently, a four-hour half-day course that is accorded with two CPD credits under the current framework will be accorded with four training hours (instead of credits).

To identify these courses in the CPD Course Directory when they come onstream, look for course IDs prefixed with:

• ‘PC’ for the Structured Learning courses

• ‘PE’ for Prescribed Essentials courses

2. An increase in course providers

Eligible CPD course providers for the real estate agency industry now include Estate Agents (EAs) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) Training Providers.

They join the list of providers including:

• Government Agencies

• Local Tertiary Institutions

• National Continuing Education & Training (CET) Centres

• Real Estate and Related Industry Associations, and their Training Providers

• CEA Approved Course Providers (ACPs)

With the latest revisions to the CPD Guidelines for Course Providers, KEOs and RESs can expect a wider range of course providers and courses to choose from.

3. Expansion of criteria for CPD trainers

The criteria for CPD trainers have been expanded to ensure that trainers are qualified and experienced. The robust criteria provide assurance to course participants that they are in good hands for their learning journey.

*Learn more about the two components of CPD – Structured Learning and Self-directed Learning (SDL) – in this CEAnergy article.

Information accurate as at 13 December 2024