Action | Continuing Education Amendment |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 12/21/2022 |
A.C.C. N.E.C.A. is normally in favor of removing regulations that impede progress. However, the removal of the continuing education requirement would achieve the opposite of this and would be a step in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the monetary cost is an imperative cost to ensure tradesmen are staying abreast on the latest codes, standards, and safety practices resulting in keeping themselves and the public safe. In our industry the National Electric Code (NEC) changes every three years. Therefore, it is imprudent to remove any continuing education requirement. Removing the requirement would imply that it is not important to stay abreast of any changes to any NEC changes for a tradesman. Imagine if this requirement was removed after the inception of the first NEC publication in 1897. Think of how much the industry has changed since that time and how much progress has been made in codes and standards to safely install electrical wiring and equipment. The three-hour continuing education requirement is the bare minimum we should require of someone in a trade to ensure the individual is performing their craft, in safe and responsible manner with the most relevant information at their disposal.