Final answer:
In Pennsylvania, continuing education is required for license renewal among various professionals, including doctors, lawyers, teachers, and engineers. Engineers aiming for professional licensure must complete an accredited program, pass exams, and gain experience. This ensures they meet the profession's ethical, knowledge, and lifelong learning standards.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Pennsylvania, completion of continuing education is a requirement upon license renewal for a number of professional fields. These fields include doctors, lawyers, teachers, and engineers. Such requirements are part of the ongoing effort to ensure professionals maintain a high standard of knowledge and skills within their respective disciplines. The process for licensure often begins with accredited education, followed by a fundamental exam, and a period of employment experience leading to a professional examination.
Specifically, for engineers, becoming licensed as a professional engineer (PE) involves graduating from an ABET-accredited engineering program, taking the engineering fundamentals exam (FE), accumulating sufficient professional experience, and passing the professional engineering examination. Though not all engineering careers require licensure, achieving PE status is beneficial for those offering services to the public, signing, and sealing plans for public projects, and it might confer advantages in the job market.
Licensure ensures that a professional adheres to the codes of ethics, is knowledgeable about contemporary issues, and engages in lifelong learning, which are important aspects of engineering programs.