Education/training
ConEd course leads to self-employmentJeff Wilson helps people with one of the most important financial decisions they'll ever make in their lifetime: buying a home. TOM BARTSIOKAS |
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 [ 2007-08-29 ] |
Seneca Instructor Graham Clarke examines the exterior of a home, checking for loose mortar. Clarke also works for Carson Dunlop and Associates, the company that delivers the Home Inspection program in partnership with Seneca.
It's all part of his job as a professional home inspector.
"I love it," says the 45-year-old, who started JefCan Home Inspections two years ago. "Before I was educating kids, and now I'm educating homeowners about their homes."
Wilson, a former high school technical teacher, became interested in home inspections in 2003 after deciding he wanted to be self-employed.
10-SUBJECT PROGRAM
Having previously studied at Seneca College, he picked up a part-time calendar and found the Home Inspection Certificate program, offered year-round at Seneca in class, online or through correspondence.
Delivered in partnership with Carson Dunlop and Associates, the 10-subject program teaches students how to inspect a home from top to bottom, incorporating the standards of practice set out by the Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors and the American Society of Home Inspectors.
When they graduate, students are equipped with the knowledge to start their own practice or work for a home inspection company.
"Most people in the industry are self-employed," says Norma Columbus, program co-ordinator. "An entrepreneur who has good people skills and knows their stuff will do fine in this industry."
Shortly after completing the program, Wilson started JefCan Home Inspections in York Region. At first, he was averaging a couple of home inspections a month, but now he is up to 15, and hopes to double that by next year.
On a typical inspection, Wilson will examine the interior and exterior components of the home, including features such as structure, roofing, electrical, plumbing, air conditioning, heating, windows and doors. Once he's done, he provides a detailed report to help people make an informed decision.
"My job is not to tell people whether they should or should not buy a house. I'm identifying things for people and giving them the condition of the home, allowing them to make the decision themselves."
Graham Clarke, an instructor in the program and vice-president of engineering at Carson Dunlop, says this is an ideal career for those seeking a challenging profession and who also enjoy working with people.
"In this job you meet new people every day and you're helping them through one of the more significant buying decisions of their life, if not the biggest," Clarke says. "Going out to a home inspection, people want to know what's broken and what's not. Once they leave this program, our graduates are trained to uncover just that."
Subjects covered in the Home Inspection Certificate program include: Roofing Inspection, Structure Inspection, Electrical Inspection, Heating Inspection, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Inspection, Plumbing Inspection, Exterior Inspection, Interior/Insulation Inspection, Communication and Professional Practice.
For more information on the Home Inspection Certificate program visit http://www.senecac.on.ca/parttime/homeinspection/index.html or call 416-491-5050 ext 2515.
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