March/April 2019

PE Report
Illinois to Require Sexual Harassment Training

Beginning in 2020, licensed professionals in Illinois will need to obtain at least one hour of sexual harassment training as part of the continuing education needed for license renewal.

The state General Assembly passed the requirement last year to “make a strong public statement about sexual harassment,” according to Illinois Society of Professional Engineers Executive Director Kim Robinson. She emphasizes that the requirement doesn’t single out engineers but will cover all licensed professions.

Illinois requires 30 professional development hours for PE license renewal. ISPE plans to provide training online and as part of its conference to help members comply with the requirement.

Robinson anticipates that other states may be interested in similar initiatives because this is a “front-burner topic.” And she encourages engineers to see this as an opportunity to be a small part of the solution. “As individuals charged with protecting the public,” Robinson notes, “this is one contribution our members can make that may serve to demonstrate their leadership on an important issue.”

The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have put a spotlight on sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the film and tech industries and the challenges that women face in the workplace. But what this new training requirement and other recent actions show is that there’s a growing consensus that no industry or profession is immune from these issues.

In June 2018, the National Academies released a landmark report examining the issue in the academic sciences, engineering, and medicine. Some parts of that report’s recommendations have been codified into legislation introduced in the House of Representatives. The Combatting Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2018 (H.R. 7031) was introduced in October by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), with more than 30 cosponsors.

In March 2018, the American Institute of Architects released a values and commitment statement on combatting sexual harassment and gender bias in the workplace.

The issues of gender bias and sexual harassment in the engineering workplace were featured in the May/June 2017 issue of PE. NSPE members were surveyed about their experience with workplace bias and sexual harassment. The feature “Crossing the Line” highlighted how despite efforts to encourage more women to try engineering and other STEM fields, they still face sexism and unwanted sexual advances at some point during their careers.