POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS Economic and Workforce Health

Policy Recommendation 7:

States can consider allowing mentorship to satisfy any continuing education requirements as an incentive for industry-based mentorship. Industry professionals could count activities such as mentoring a career aspirant or hosting a job shadowing session.

The Economic and Workforce Subcommittee passed this recommendation unanimously in agreement on the benefits of mentorships for mentors and apprentices.

Virginia requires any agent who holds a title agent license such as life and annuities insurance agents, health agents, property and casualty insurance agents, personal lines agents, and title insurance agents to complete 16 hours of continuing education credits.4 The state also has exemptions to these continuing education requirements such as an exemption for nonresident agents who have met the continuing education requirements of their home state and whose home state gives credit to residents of the Commonwealth on the same basis.

Additional Resources

ƒ American School Counseling: State Continuing Education Requirements — https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-SchoolCounseling/State-Requirements-Programs/State-ContinuingEducation-Requirements

ƒ Continuing Nurse Education — https://nurse.org/resources/ continuing-education/#:~:text=Every%202%20years%3A%202%20 of,OR%20320%20hours%20nursing%20employment.

ƒ Health Care Career Advancement Program – Mentorship Training Program — https://www.hcapinc.org/mentorship-trainingprogram

Endnotes

Apprenticeships are a work-based learning model that provides participants with opportunities to connect classroom instruction to work activities. Career mentorship is a key piece of the apprenticeship experience.1 Knowledgeable mentors are often able to translate written instruction into the mechanics of the job.

Mentorship also confers benefits on the mentor. Many executives see mentorship programs as informal leadership training for their employees.2 To recruit capable mentors for apprenticeship programs, state leaders could work with the private sector to recognize the work of the mentor as professional development.

While a preliminary scan found no current state examples of this recommendation, some states offer flexibility to the established continuing education requirements to achieve other policy goals.

State Examples

The New York State Education Department requires licensed engineers to complete continuing education requirements. Professional engineers need to complete 36 hours of continuing education every three-year registration period.3 However, under the public sector exemption, professional engineers employed by the State of New York in any of its agencies, public authorities, public benefit corporations or local government units are exempt from this requirement.

1 ApprenticeshipNH. (2021, Nov. 18). Mentorship Plays an Important Role in Apprenticeship Programs. Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://apprenticeshipnh.com/mentorship-plays-an-important-role-in-apprenticeship-programs/

2 Hamilton, S., Boren, Z., Arabandi, B., & Jacoby, T. (2021). Mentor Guide for Youth. Cornell University. Urban Institute. Retrieved August 12, 2022, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED613312.pdf

3 Mandatory continuing education for professional engineers, land surveyors and professional geologists. New York Stat. § 7211 (2014 & rev. 2022). https://www.nysenate.gov/ legislation/laws/EDN/7211

4 Continuing Education Requirements, Virginia Code § 38.2-1866. https://law.lis.virginia. gov/vacode/title38.2/chapter18/section38.2-1866/