People who attempt to ?hustle? in the trade industries will now have to get certified properly under new Government legislation.

If you?re a taxi driver and you hustle on the weekend as a plumber, then you will have to follow a technical training programme and receive certification through a national occupational certification programme administered by the National Training Board.

The National Occupational Certification Act 2004 was introduced by and debated during a special session of the House of Assembly yesterday. said that he felt developing the workforce to international standards ?was a good thing?. But he said he hoped it did not have the effect of Bermudians losing jobs while getting certified.

Mr. Darrell said that he did not hear anything from Government about time tables and goals for moving ahead with the initiative.

He added that a National Literacy Secretary is necessary to prepare people for their certification.

?This Act will not work by itself simply because we passed legislation,? he said.

However, he rejected several amendments to the legislation proposed by the National Training Board, which will oversee the certification of trades people, hold the majority of certification and renewal duties as opposed to the Minister.

He called for a clearer separation in the legislation between the duties of the Board and the duties of the Minister.

His proposals to amend certain clauses were recommended by a majority vote. The Government did however, accept Mr. Darrell?s amendment to change the wording of one subsection of the Act. said the days of ?the buyer beware? were over with the new certification regulations for designated occupations. She told the House that the time for the ?vocationally challenged? was over and that people who attempt to set themselves up without proper certification can be punished under the law.

Education Minister Terry Lister said the regulations would increase the level of expertise among tradesmen such as electricians and painters and assure the public they could rely on a dependable standard of service.

Mr. Lister said occupational advisory committees will drive the real work of the legislation. Tradesmen who have been working in their chosen field for years will not be subject immediately to the criteria under the legislation, but Mr. Lister said they will be brought into the scheme in stages.

When asked to answer several questions during the debate by and Mr. Darrell to clarify exactly how the legislation will work, Mr. Lister responded that a person cannot hold a career in a designated occupation without being certified. Certified workers will have a certificate and a plastic card similar to a licence outlining their area of expertise.

Dr. Gibbons also pointed out how the flip-flop between the Board and the Minister in the writing of the legislation created a certain amount of ambiguity and confusion. While the Minister grants the national occupational certificates, the Board is the monitoring authority, meaning they devise regulations of prescribing certain tasks and functions which come with a designated occupation. Applications for renewal of the certificate are then passed to the Minister by way of the Board according to the legislation. responded that the Minister is the authority in the certification scheme and not the Board, which supervises the work of individuals who seek certification. ?The signature of the board is just as important as the signature of the Minister,? added Mr. Lister,

Many MPs also pointed out the importance of the role of employers in making sure their employees were properly certified.