Action | Develop regulations for a mandatory continuing education requirement for architect, professional engineer, and land surveyor licenses. |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 5/2/2008 |
The PE is an achievement in an engineer's career and thus a valued life long credential. It should not diminish over time any more than one's academic credentials. I have had my PE for 29 years while my father had his for 52 years and we were never asked to prove our worthiness more than once. I believe the integrity of the traditional PE has served both the engineer and the public well.
The enacted changes to require continuing education activities as a prerequisite to the renewal of an issued license will benefit only the commercial interests in my opinion. Certification as a PE should continue to be a valued credential, but I suspect engineers who do not actually require licensure will not renew. Fewer licensed engineers pursuing "mandatory continuing education activities" may seem an improvement to some but I don't think it benefits either the engineer or the public.