IMPORTANT: PDH Policy Update Follow Up

Organizational

Announcement

IMPORTANT FOLLOW UP TO THE PDH POLICY

EnviroCert International, Inc. (ECI) wanted to convey additional information about the new PDH policy that took effect 1 June 2024. This is just the beginning of the roll out, and we will work to make this as seamless and smooth as possible. ECI has appreciated all of the emails with questions and comments, as well as the overwhelming support.

The ECI PDH Webpage is being populated with information. We hope that everyone takes a look at the new page: https://envirocert.org/professional-development-hours/. This also includes a PDH Application Form that provides organizations and groups direction on how to apply for approval.

1. FREE PDHS FOR 2024!

A free PDH Category has been created which has been populated with over 1,000 hours of content and will continue to expand with additional research and suggestions.

To assist everyone with this transition, we are going to accept all your annual PDHs from this category for 2024. If you have paid for any previous PDH’s, we will allow you to transfer or apply them to next year (2025).

We hope this will provide everyone with a little economic and stress relief this year.

Note: Any professional requesting a carryover to 2025 will need to request from staff as CMS does not do this automatically. Please send your request to communications@envirocert.org

2. PDH WEBSITE CATEGORIES AND FURTHER DEFINITION OF ACCEPTABLE PDHS

We received excellent input from our professionals. Please see the updated PDH guidelines that we have provided on this page, and over the next month, we will be updating ECI Policy on this topic. We have added discussions on ethics, project management, project scheduling, and related topics as valid content.

Agricultural Sectors

Climate

Conservation

Construction

Emerging/Advanced Technology

Engineering/Geology

Ethics

General Science

Industrial

Landscape / Forestry

Mining

Municipal/MS4

Oil/Gas

Project Elements (Planning, Project Management, Scheduling, Finance, etc.)

Regulatory

Soils

Stormwater Quality/Green Infrastructure

Surface Water Pollution

Water Bodies & Structures

College and university level, writing a technical article (not magazine article), writing a (related topic) book, writing or presenting a new training course, and other areas will also be accepted.

3. SELF-STUDY AND ADDITIONAL PDH DESCRIPTIONS

Self-Study remains available for up to one-half (1/2) of the total annual PDH requirement. This may include manufactures’ content and videos. This will be a self-declaration, and the professional needs to ensure that the material is relevant, current, valid, thorough, and provides appropriate new learning. In this manner, the professional needs to ensure that if questioned in an audit by ECI or an independent outside body, that it is defensible. A few other conditions and notes:

Unless otherwise approved, no credits are provided for being part of a membership organization or group.
OSHA Safety Training, Project Management, Water Sampling and Testing, and related categories and other categories can be considered as part of the technical PDHs.
Ethics continues to be an accepted category that ECI will accept up to 2 PDH credits per year. This is one category that can be repeated (1 unit per year can be repeated).
Presentations by manufacturers/suppliers on various products and related design and installation and maintenance will be accepted under your self-study allotment of PDHs (1/2 of required PDHs annually).
Studying topics on various science or practice areas, operations and maintenance of BMPs, etc. will be approved.

4. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - BLANKET APPROVALS

ECI stated in the original announcement that City, County, State and Federal Agency Classes are acceptable (see snippet below). However, we wanted to clarify:

The Professionals need to ensure the class is suitable and robust. For instance, the EPA inspector program would be accepted for a QSM but not for a CESSWI. Another example, an introductory course that covers the basics in BMP design would not be valid for the Design Certifications, unless it is a new and innovative BMP design concept. There will be some judgment necessary and defensible if audited (as usual).

xi. City, County, State or Federal agency Certificate of Training Program that provides appropriate training, corresponding training hours with a signed certificate that can be loaded up to the ECI CMS at the time of renewal.

5. PROFESSIONAL PDHS NEED TO MEET STANDARDS

The intention of PDHs is to provide post learning activities for professionals, as they are required to stay up to date with their knowledge and skillsets. This type of education enables them to comply with the ever-changing laws, standards, and certifications that allow them to remain certified and working within their chosen profession, not just maintain their current knowledge. The content needs to be relevant, current, valid, thorough, and provides appropriate learning.

6. ECI HAS A DUTY TO ESTABLISH PDH STANDARDS

We concur with hundreds of complaints that Certified Professionals and PDH/CEUs providers have escalated, as have prices, as well as PDH classes and as a result technical content has diminished. We also concur that the content has become diluted, compromised, and antiquated. With 86 percent of responders identifying these two (2) issues, ECI is establishing standards. As a Professional Certifying body, this is a primary responsibility of ECI to ensure the technical content and integrity of the PDHs. Therefore, this is the roll out of the program. Future audits will be to simply verify PDH documentation not a review of legitimacy. Certified Professionals will have confidence the PDHs they submit will be accepted.

7. NO INTENTION TO LIMIT PROVIDERS

As you will note, the PDH list is expanding with more and more international providers.

If you do not see a provider on the list, either they are under review, they were declined, or they have not applied. Any reputable conference or course organizers are familiar with obtaining approval for PDHs.

8. ORGANIZATOINS NEED TO REQUEST APPROVAL

Traditionally, organizations and conferences have reached out to obtain peer reviews and gain approval. We encourage our professionals to let conference organizers and content providers know they value their content and would like to use it for PDHs to maintain your ECI certification. Please ask conference organizers and content providers to reach out to ECI to request approval. ECI has developed an application (Online fillable PDF) form that will assist them through the process. See the link below.

https://envirocert.org/wp-content/uploads/PDH-Request-Form_7-June-2024_v1.0.pdf

9. PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT AND PHD INTENT

Part of being a Certified Professional includes holding oneself out in a professional manner, which includes maintaining the necessary continued education and professional development. The intention of PDHs is to provide post learning activities. Certified Professionals are required to stay up to date with their knowledge and skills. This type of education enables one to comply with the laws, standards, and certifications that allow them to remain certified and working within their profession.

Continuing education allows professionals to become more qualified so that they can progress to higher levels within their profession and gain more income, freedom, or responsibility, not be a check the box exercise with some antiquated 30-year-old subprofessional review that has little benefit, because it was substandard.

As ECI moves through the accreditation process, concerns of standards have been raised by an overwhelming number of professionals in a recent survey. Subject matter expert determinations should be based on professional experience and accomplishments, not paying annual membership dues, but on professional accomplishments.

Previous audits have led to some classes being not accepted. Inevitably, there is an exculpatory position that charges that "ECI did not tell me” or "it is ECI’s fault, ECI did not set standards". Taking the misunderstanding at face value, ECI is now setting the standard, and as we stated above, that is a right and duty of a Professional Certifying Body.

CONCLUSION

We have tried to respond to every email that was sent. We encourage anyone with any questions to please let us know.

Please continue to be patient and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions and concerns at communications@envirocert.org.

EnviroCert International, Inc. | 7 June 2024