Voluntary Maintenance of Professional Development

The mandatory or voluntary concept for continuing professional development for license renewal is discussed. The question: As a requirement for license renewal should legal procedures be established requiring a minimum level of competency of registered engineers and land surveyors? The ASCE Board of Direction, at this time, recognizes that the very controversial concept of mandatory continuing education is unacceptable to most civil engineers. Most engineering registration boards reject the mandatory concept. Reasons are cited. Conferences and surveys sponsored by ASCE and extensive study by the ASCE Committee on Registration of Engineers reflects the Board's concern. However, the Iowa Legislature, in the late spring of 1977, passed the first law in our country requiring the State registration board to implement a program requiring continuing education as a condition of license renewal.