Many jurisdictions require continuing education for licenses for civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers. And more engineers are expressing interest in obtaining LEED certification as well.

Continuing education used to be pretty simple. You signed up for a class, went to the course, wrote the test and you were set for another year. Then along came the Internet and changed all that. Now you can sit through on-line sessions at whatever time suits you. And you have an endless selection of providers that are as close as the next mouse click. There is no question that the Internet-based programs have taken a huge bite out of the in-class education business.

Now the tables are turning again. Accreditation bodies are certifying free courses. That is a revolutionary change that may enable engineers to get more licenses in more states than ever.

The way those courses work is that the course provider finds a sponsor that pays for the program. This is a proven business model for architects. There are building material suppliers who want to introduce their new products to architects. Since the supplier can’t get architects to sit through an hour-long infomercial, this is where the course publisher comes in. They write a course to make sure that the sponsor’s message is mixed in with enough content to meet the accreditation requirements.

At ENGINEERING.com we’ve been looking for ways to extend the free services that we provide for engineers. This free continuing education is an interesting idea that we will explore over time. In the meantime, I would be curious to hear your thoughts on it.