The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has hosted its first session in an online education series which gives the building industry practical insights and useful resources.

The inaugural virtual masterclass held by the state building regulator has proven to be wildly popular, with more than 800 practitioners tuning in to hear from industry experts.

Launching the webinar was VBA principal fire safety engineering Dr Weng Poh who discussed the requirements for the construction of fire-rated elements in construction.

“To have 823 practitioners shows there’s a strong interest in this education series, with practitioners keen to hear from subject matter experts,” VBA state building surveyor Andrew Cialini says.

“We have more masterclasses running over the next four months so I expect numbers will rise even higher once the word gets out about this opportunity to gain valuable learnings.”

Feedback from practitioners has been positive according to the VBA, with one saying that it was the best masterclass they had attended to during his 23 years in the building industry.

Upcoming masterclasses include:

April

• Bushfire audit findings – presented by VBA senior technical advisor Mark Cooper
• Conflict of interest during design – presented by MinterEllison partner Jeanette Barbaro

May

• Cladding Safety Victoria update – presented by Cladding Safety Victoria chief executive Dan O’Brien
• Site inspections and enforcement – presented by Weir Legal and Consulting director Bronwyn Weir

June

• Practical application of maintenance determinations and schedules – presented by VBA senior technical advisor John Cutajar

July

• Documentation and records management

To register for future masterclasses and watch any sessions you may have missed, visit the VBA website.