Earn up to a total of 1.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), 23 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) as well as Contact Hours.  CEUs are earned by participating in workshops.  PDHs are earned by attending technical sessions.  Contact hours are earned by participating in tours and for time spent in the WEFTEC exhibition.  In order to receive educational credits you must scan your WEFTEC badge when you enter and exit a workshop, technical session or the exhibit hall.

More and more certification and licensing authorities, companies, government agencies, and organizations are requiring that professionals earn a certain number of educational credits each year.  Professional engineers, wastewater operators, and laboratory technicians often must meet specific continuing education requirements in order to renew their licenses or certifications.

What are CEUs, PDHs and Contact Hours?

A Continuing Educational Unit (CEU), as the name implies, is related to structured, relevant professional training above and beyond that of initial certification or employment in a particular field.  One CEU is the equivalent of 10 clock hours of training or formal instruction (workshops, seminars, etc.).  In most states and provinces, both operators and laboratory technicians are required to be licensed in order to be legally employed.  Many certification programs now require these licenses to be renewed periodically; renewal requirements might include obtaining a specific number of CEUs or education credits during that time period.  The number required and approved training sources will vary, so consult with your state’s or province’s certification agency to learn more.  Also, be sure to check with your agency to ensure WEFTEC is an approved training event.

In approximately half of the states and all of the provinces require that professional engineers participate in continuing education or professional development activities.  These activities are usually tracked in terms of Professional Development Hours (PDHs).  A PDH is generally defined as one clock hour that is spent engaged in an activity that contributes to the advancement or enhancement of professional skills or scientific knowledge of a professional engineer.  These activities usually can include technical, managerial or ethical topics.

A Contact Hour is defined as one clock hour spent engaged in an activity that can contribute to the professional skills of the participant.  It is used by WEF to track the time spent participating in less formal educational activities such as time spent on facility tours and on examining equipment in conference exhibition halls.

Please be aware that terminology and education credit requirements and restrictions vary widely.  All participants are responsible for checking with their licensing/certification authority to ensure that the WEF events will meet specific requirements.