BY KENNETH TODD, PE
Throughout the process of reviewing the current Continuing Education Units rule for possible revisions, an update will be provided in the FBPE Quarterly Newsletter to inform all Florida licensed engineers of any possible rule revision. It is the intent of the CEU Rules Revision sub-committee to send a recommendation to the Rules Committee and then to the full FBPE membership sometime this summer. This schedule is set up so there will be sufficient time for all Florida licensed engineers to come into compliance with the revised rule before the next license renewal in Feb. 28, 2019.
The CEU Rules Revision sub-committee along with several public advisors have met three times this year to review the rule and discuss recommendations for a rule revision concerning CEUs required of all Florida licensed engineers. The intent of the sub-committee is to look at the entire rule to provide better guidance to providers on course material and to recommend other rule revisions that will enhance the implementation and quality of the CEU obtained by Florida licensed engineers.
To date, of the 25 issues listed, 20 have been discussed by the Committee and Public Advisors as possible revisions to the rule. These issues were raised by the Committee members or Public Advisors themselves, or by licensed engineers who wrote the FBPE office with their concerns about the rule. Some examples of possible rule revisions from the list of issues raised are: (1) should the current list of unacceptable topics for coursework be expanded; (2) can better guidance be provided to providers on the types of course that are acceptable for CEU credit; and (3) can the rule be more specific on the types of “Civic or Professional Board” participation that an engineer can expect CEU credit? Some of the 20 issues on the list of 25 that have been discussed were deemed not worthy of further consideration. Those issues that were kept on the list will be discussed in greater detail in upcoming meetings to determine what could be revised in the rule language that would be beneficial to Florida licensed engineers.
Should any professional engineer have a concern regarding any aspect of the current CEU rule, please contact the FBPE office via e-mail to express your concern that you would like the sub-committee to review during this potential rule revision process (www.fbpe.org). The CEU Rule Revisions sub-committee will review the request and make a determination as to whether or not and how the request can be achieved during this rule revision process.