This makes the BTC offering the first, and at this point the only, course in the state that will be accepted by the DOL as basic or fundamentals training in home inspection. The Bellingham Technical College 120-hour course has received conditional approval. This helps alleviate the recent catch-22 situation that was faced by many home inspectors across the state and is explained here.
Conditional approval means that the course will need to be modified slightly in the future to better follow state recommendations. But, as that work is being done by the school, the course is approved and DOL will accept it as fundamentals training. As someone affilited with BTC, I will explain: The BTC course has been in existence for 15 years but, with the newly adapted ethics and standards of practice that are very specific to the state, the school has to do a bit more work so those changes, and a few others, are better integrated into the course content and testing. Faculty at BTC plans to re-submit those changes in the next couple of weeks. Regardless, at this point, students taking the course are assured by DOL that they will be fulfilling the mandatory state education requirements.
The BTC course is four weeks in duration. The first three weeks satisfy the 120 hours of classroom fundamentals education. The final week will satisfy the field training requirements that are, also, required by the state. Those inspectors who require fundamentals training, field training or both, should visit the BTC website.
The next scheduled four week class will begin on May 18, 2009. Prospective students wishing further information should contact me directly:
Telephone -- 360-676-6908.
Steven L. Smith
Bellingham WA Home Inspections
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Hi Steve - Would the instructor be anyone we know? Good news for BTC.
Marlene,
Sorry to say that one of the main instructors is that cranky old curmudgeon Charlie Buell.
Steve, Is Nutsy going to make a guest appearance? Charles is one tough nut to crack you know...
Your building consultant for life in Nashville, TN
Michael, this whole process has made Steve nutsy-----so in that sense Nutsy will make an appearance:)
Michael,
Things are so screwed up at the Buell home that Charlie forgot to tell his wife that Nutsy and his family would be staying with her. She is swatting at the family with brooms and a fly swatter.