Career
Which credentials employers actually verify, and how
Licences, certifications and degrees are checked differently, and knowing which is which changes where training money is best spent.
A licence is state permission to practise an occupation at all, granted by a board, and practising without one is generally unlawful. It is verified against a public register, so it is the most reliably checked credential and the one where an unapproved programme is most damaging.
A certification is issued by a professional body against an examination, and is usually voluntary — valued by employers in a field but not legally required. Most issuing bodies run their own online verification, and employers increasingly use it.
A degree is verified through the institution or a clearinghouse service. This is where accreditation matters: an unaccredited institution's award can fail verification outright, and the problem surfaces at the offer stage, after the money has been spent.
Before enrolling in anything sold as improving employability, check which of the three it produces, who issues it, and whether employers in that field ask for it. Job advertisements in the occupation answer the last question directly.
What to do next. Read a dozen current job adverts in the occupation and note which credentials are named, before paying for any programme.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.