Does Illinois Require Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

Are you a professional engineer or structural engineer licensed in the state of Illinois?

If so, you need to be award of new legislations that requires all licensed professionals to receive sexual harassment prevention training.

The Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for Illinois Professional Engineers is a new requirement that was put in place by the state of Illinois in 2018. This training will help to ensure that all engineers are aware of what sexual harassment is and how to prevent it from happening, preventing any lawsuits against the company in the future. The Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for Illinois Professional Engineers can be completed online or through a live webinar.

If you have not taken this training yet, you should do so as soon as possible!

Importance of this Legislation

Sexual harassment is a serious issue that can have lasting effects on victims and their careers. If you’re an Illinois professional engineer, it’s important to know what constitutes sexual harassment and how to prevent it in the workplace.

Starting in 2020, all licensed professionals who are required to obtain professional development hours must also take one hour of sexual harassment training. The new legislation requires all professionals who are licensed by Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFRP) to receive 1 professional development hour (PDH) of training on sexual harassment prevention.

IDFRP believes that by taking this course, PEs will be aware of what constitutes sexual harassment and how they should respond if they experience it in the workplace. This training also gives them tools for reporting incidents when necessary so employers can take appropriate action quickly before things escalate further.

What are the Requirements

The new legislation requires that all professionals receive 1 hour of training on how to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This includes professional engineers, structural engineers, architects, and land surveyors.

The new law is Public Act 100-0762, enacted through Illinois House Bill 4953. It defines sexual harassment as “any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors or any conduct of a sexual nature when:

(i) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment;

(ii) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual; or

(iii) such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.”

If you have a license from the IDFRP and need to take continuing education during each renewal period, one of those hours must include sexual harassment prevention training. Fortunately, the total CE requirement was not increased – you can apply this required 1 PDH hour to total. For professional engineers, the biennial continuing education requirement is 30 hours.

How Can You Meet this Requirement

With the new Illinois sexual harassment prevention training requirement for IDFRP licensees, you don’t want to be caught off-guard. You can meet this requirement in a variety of ways:

1. Online training course
2. Live webinar
3. In-person class

For online training courses, IDFRP requires documentation you completed the training, such as a certificate of completion. They also require that participants demonstrate mastery of the material – most providers administer a quiz to satisfy this requirement.

What Does IDFRP Say About the New Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

The IDFRP has provided some clarifications about the new training requirements.

• You can complete your continuing education at ANY licensed CE provider for ANY field.
• Individual licensees are only required to complete this CE requirement if they have not previously completed a course of study in the field. Individual licensees and firms who renew their licenses for the first time are not affected by this requirement, according to a FAQ on enforcement issues on the Department’s website.
• The training is required for licensees who are required to do CE as part of their license renewal.
• This CE provision is already included in the total hours required under each Act and Rule. It is not meant to increase the number of hours required to renew your professional license.

Where Can You Get the Required Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

PDH-Pro developed a 1-hour PDH course that meets the Illinois sexual harassment prevention training. It is an online course that you can take at your convenience – 24/7. Once you purchase the course, you download the written training material and review the content. When you’re ready, you take a 10-question quiz to demonstrate you understand the material. A passing score of 70% is required. If necessary, you can take the quiz as many times as needed.

This course meets the Illinois requirement – guaranteed.

Learn more about our Illinois Sexual Harassment Prevention training course and how you can meet the new requirements.