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Curriculum › Grades 9-12 › Life Skills & Career Paths

Licensing and Certification: What It Takes to Be Legal

  • Grades 9-12
  • Life Skills & Career Paths
  • CTE:CC-10
  • Trades & Apprenticeships
  • Free lesson

Aligned to CTE:CC-10 — Jump$tart National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education & Advance CTE Career Clusters.

What this lesson teaches

Many trades require a license to work unsupervised, granted by a state board after documented hours and an exam. Certifications are narrower proofs of a specific skill, often issued by an industry body. A license is permission to do the work; a certification is evidence you can do a particular part of it.

Worked examples

Example 1

A journeyman electrician license typically requires several thousand documented on-the-job hours plus classroom hours and a code exam. The hours are why you cannot shortcut it.

Example 2

Licenses are issued by states and do not automatically transfer. Moving across a state line can mean an extra exam, and reciprocity agreements are worth checking before you move.

Example 3

Certifications stack on top. An HVAC tech needs EPA Section 608 certification to handle refrigerant at all, separate from any state license.

Practice questions

  1. Explain the difference between a license and a certification.
  2. Why might a licensed tradesperson need to re-test after moving states?
  3. Look up one licensing requirement in your state for a trade that interests you.

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Licencias y certificaciones: lo que se necesita para trabajar legalmente

Muchos oficios requieren una licencia para trabajar sin supervisión, otorgada por una junta estatal después de horas documentadas y un examen. Las certificaciones son pruebas más estrechas de una habilidad específica, muchas veces emitidas por un organismo de la industria. Una licencia es permiso para hacer el trabajo; una certificación es evidencia de que puedes hacer una parte específica.

Ejemplo 1: Una licencia de electricista oficial normalmente requiere varios miles de horas documentadas en obra más horas de aula y un examen del reglamento. Las horas son la razón por la que no hay atajo.

Ejemplo 2: Las licencias las emiten los estados y no se transfieren automáticamente. Mudarte de estado puede significar otro examen, y vale la pena revisar los acuerdos de reciprocidad antes de mudarte.

Ejemplo 3: Las certificaciones se apilan encima. Un técnico de clima necesita la certificación EPA Sección 608 solo para manejar refrigerante, aparte de cualquier licencia estatal.

More Trades & Apprenticeships lessons

Apprenticeships: Earning While You LearnCTE:CC-9Working for Yourself in a TradeCTE:CC-11License, Certification, or Registration — Know Which One You NeedCTE:CT-4The Registered Apprenticeship: Paid From Day OneCTE:CT-5Electrician: The Code, the Hours, and the Open-Book ExamCTE:CT-6Plumber: Supply, Drain, Vent — and Eight Thousand HoursCTE:CT-7

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