To renew the above credentials, the required 30 contact hours must be completed within your credentialing period and the courses must meet the following standards:

1. Fifteen (15) contact hours must come from UNT WISE, and (15) contact hours may come from any organization or educational institution that provides training/courses by qualified instructors. If you want trainings or courses to be preapproved by UNT WISE to ensure they qualify, click here for more information regarding the preapproval process. Continuing education courses completed through UNT WISE may only be counted once during a credential period.
2. Trainings must be no less than one clock hour in duration and must be relevant to your level of credentialing.
3. The coursework must be designed to increase the participant's knowledge or skill regarding the practice of employment services and/or persons with disabilities as described in the Focus Areas below:
   • Job Skills Training
   • Job Placement
   • Job Development and Marketing
   • Natural and Ongoing Supports in the Workplace and Community
   • Supported Employment
   • Employment Planning
   • Delivering Services
   • Ethics and Advocacy
   • Aspects of Disabilities
   • Fraud and Abuse
4. The purpose of the course/program must be clearly defined in terms of its objectives or expected outcomes.
5. The continuing education course must be led by a qualified instructor with documented education and expertise to teach the subject matter. Documentation is dependent on the subject matter and could include:
   • Certification in Rehabilitation, related field, or in the specific subject area.
   • Documentation of previous presentations on the subject.
   • Published articles and/or books in the subject area.
   • Recognition as an expert in the subject by state or national organization.
   • Expertise in the subject area through license, education or experience.
   • Master's level education or higher in the related subject matter field.
   • License or certification in the related subject area by a state or national organization

 

Continuing Education FAQ's

When are my continuing education hours due to UNT?
Continuing education hours are needed to renew the Employment Services credentials. You must have completed the 30 hours before your credential expiration date. You will use your highest Basic Employment Services credential to determine your due date for continuing education hours. Your expiration date will be listed in your user portal. Please refer to the Continuing Education requirement page.

How many hours of continuing education must I earn?
You must earn 30 continuing education hours in your three year credentialing period. Fifteen (15) of the contact hours must be from UNTWISE. Six (6) hours must be Ethics.

If I take a 3 hour substance abuse online class and want to repeat the same course, will I be able to count all 6 contact hours toward my credential renewal?
To count a course that you repeat, it must be a version that is substantially updated or taken in a different credential cycle. You will not be able to count the same version of a course twice within a credential period.

Can I retake a credential course in lieu of continuing education?
The continuing education requirement is to support continued professional development and expansion of new knowledge and skills. Retaking the same course will not advance professional development and could not be counted toward continuing education requirement.

I want to take a new credential course in lieu of continuing education, when could I register for the course? Your credential must be expired in excess of 91 days before you would be eligible to start the credential process anew.

How do I document my continuing education?
You will be responsible for keeping an accurate list of completed continuing education. When submitting your application packet, you will be required to show proof of training participation, training date, trainer credentials (for trainings not pre-approved), location of the training, an agenda, and any other relevant training materials.

What fees are associated with submitting my continuing education hours? A $60.00 processing fee if submitted by your submission date. A $120.00 processing fee if submitted after expiration date. Your application will not be accepted for processing if it is 90 days after the expiration date. 

What if I do not pay my processing fee?
Your application will not be processed until payment has been submitted.

What happens if I miss the expiration deadline for submitting my continuing education hours for the Employment Services credential? Your credential will be listed as expired, until your application and payment have been received and continuing education requirements have been confirmed. If the information and payment has not been confirmed within the 90 day period, the credential will not be eligible for renewal.

When should I notify UNT of an address or email change?
You should notify UNTWISE immediately if there is a change in your contact information.

I registered for a training and do not have access. What should I do? UNTWISE will send an email notification approximately 2 to 3 days prior to the event start date. This email will include either a user name and password for online trainings or an invitation registration link for webinars. Please check your spam/junk/clutter email folder for log-in/ access instructions prior to contacting UNTWISE.  Send an email to UNTWISE@unt.edu to report the problem. The email will ensure that we have the correct email address and will with the assess information.

Do contact hours for new endorsement and/or credential courses count toward continuing education hour needed for my employment services renewal? Half of the hours will count toward your continuing education requirement for your employment services credential if earned during your current renewal period. For example, if you earned the VAT credential during your renewal period, 12 general hours of the 24 hours may be applied toward fulfilling the requirement of your employment services credential.

Do contact hours for the director credential renewal courses count toward continuing education hours needed for my employment services renewal? The director renewal course hours do not count toward continuing education, as the class is focused on contracting. Only training related to employment and work readiness service provision as outlined by the focus areas count toward contact hours for employment services credential renewal.