All real estate licensees and employees of sponsoring brokerage companies are required to meet annual Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (SHPT) requirements, but the requirements set by IDFPR and the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) under the Workplace Transparency Act (WTA) are different, as noted below:

WTA REQUIREMENTS

Under the WTA, Illinois employers with one or more employees must provide SHPT for their employees at least one time a year.

    • All employees must be trained regardless of their status (e.g. part-time, short term, or intern).
    • For brokerages, this means that all licensees who operate as independent contractors, unlicensed assistants and any other office staff must complete the training.
    • The Illinois Department of Human Rights (“IDHR”) has created a model training program to assist employers in meeting this statutory requirement.

LICENSEE CE REQUIREMENTS AT IDFPR

The Illinois Department of Finance and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) has an additional SHPT training requirement for all licensed professionals, including real estate licensees

    • The SHPT CE course must be completed once every two years as part of the two-year cycle for real estate licensees.
    • The good news is that completion of this CE course will also satisfy the training requirement under the WTA.  In other words, licensees who complete SHPT courses that have been approved for CE credits, will also satisfy the WTA requirement for training in the year that it is completed for CE.

For example, if a licensee takes an approved SHPT CE course for license renewal in April 2022, this meets both the requirements for CE to renew the real estate license and the WTA annual SHPT training (it serves a dual purpose in the year of renewal).  The next year, the licensee would only need to complete the requirements under the WTA. That course can be found at the Illinois Department of Human Rights.  (Note that employers might use a different course, so one should check with their employer).

Information on access to IDHR’s Model Training Program can be found on their website.

Information on how to access a course approved by IDFPR for CE credit can be found on Illinois REALTORS® webpage.

Members can also contact an Illinois REALTORS® Education Specialist Monday- Friday, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 P.M. at (800) 523-5077 or Email [email protected]