The Malta Independent 10 February 2025, Monday
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BCA holds that licence renewal for construction workers is raising standards within the industry

Monday, 20 January 2025, 19:07 Last update: about 20 days ago

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has issued a statement to denounce the comments made by Simon Mercieca on television that “qualifications have been lowered for people to become builders today.”

The BCA has stated that on the contrary, the construction reform that now forces construction workers to have a licence, and renew this licence every two years, has raised the standards of the national construction sector.

“The BCA reiterates that this renewal in the licensing of those involved in the construction sector continues to raise standards in the same industry,” the statement read.

The BCA also added that unlike the situation prior to the introduced reform, today there exist two sets of laws regulating construction workers and construction operators respectively – laws which will continue to be updated on occasion, depending on the evolving needs of the industry.

To demonstrate the significance of this reform, the Authority described how the changes it helped bring about are keeping construction workers, builders, etc., in check more than ever.

“Until a few months ago, our country had an old legal framework that regulated builders which dated back to the 19th century and has never been updated,” the BCA said. Regarding this, the BCA observed that it has worked on a new legal framework which is more rigorous and ensures to “keep pace with the needs of today’s industry.”

The Authority detailed that for a person to obtain a builder’s licence nowadays, “one must go through a meticulous process that involves a course and two exams” – one exam to test one’s theoretical knowledge via an exam paper, and another practical exam to demonstrate one’s skills on the job site.

Additionally, a licensed builder must renew their license every two years and sit for a number of other courses from time to time if the BCA feels that this is needed.

On top of this process, during one’s license renewal, an independent committee in charge of regulating licenses checks that the person in question has a clean conduct vis-à-vis construction work.

“Through these standards, the Building and Construction Authority ensures that our country has builders capable of this important trade,” the Authority said.

The BCA also made reference to its work to, for the first time in Malta’s history, have a legal framework related to the licensing of contractors.

“Although our country has seen growth in the construction industry over the last 40 years, and the number of operators working in this sector has also grown, it has never had a law regulating these operators,” the BCA wrote.

In this regard, contractor’s licences are split into three distinct categories: demolition, excavation, and construction.

A person may only obtain a construction license if they have a builder’s licence. However, if one does not have a builder’s license, one can still obtain a construction license as long as they either employ a builder or have entered a formal agreement with a builder.

“This latest amendment, which regulates the relationship between the contractor and the builder, is ensuring that on every construction site in our country there is a licensed, and therefore capable and skilled, builder to manage the works,” the BCA added.

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