As a spouse of a professional in the medical field, we have had first hand experience with continuing education for several years.  Typically, the individual is required to cover the class and travel costs for these credits as they do not fall under the employer's responsibility (typically).  In my personal experience, there is no evidence that shows continuing education provides any benefit to the individual or the company.  Engineering firms must maintain competitive advantages and engineers typically keep abreast of new technology in their respective industries.  Requiring them to meet this specification is unwanted and unrealistic.  Goverment should not be forcing this on individuals or corporations.