Trade licence and certification exams
Most skilled trades need a licence, a certificate or a site card, and nearly all of them start with a written exam. Who sets it changes a lot by country. In the US it's usually a state board, in Canada a national Red Seal exam run by the province, and in the UK and New Zealand an industry or registration body.
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Trades in the United States
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Trades in the United Kingdom
Who controls the licence
In the US, electrician, plumbing and contractor licences come from state boards, and the rules vary more from state to state than they do for most professions. Food safety follows the same local pattern: state and local regulators write their own rules, using the FDA Food Code as a model, and they decide which food manager certificate counts. Engineering is more uniform, since NCEES writes the FE and PE exams for every state's licensing board.
Canada's Red Seal exam is written by tradespeople from across the country, but provincial and territorial apprenticeship authorities run it and certify you. In the UK, many building sites want a CSCS card, and to apply you first pass the right CITB Health, Safety and Environment test. New Zealand's electricians sit Electrical Workers Registration Board exams, run online at Aspeq centres.
What the exams look like
Expect a timed multiple-choice exam at a test centre, often with your code book or regulations as the main thing to study. As of October 2026, the Red Seal exam gives you four hours and a pass mark of 70%, with four options for each question. The FE exam has 110 questions over 5 hours 20 minutes at a Pearson centre, and the result is simply pass or fail.
The exam is rarely enough on its own. Red Seal follows an apprenticeship, the CSCS blue Skilled Worker card needs an NVQ or SVQ level 2 or an apprenticeship. Check the full list of requirements with the licensing body before you spend money on exam prep.
Questions people ask
FAQ
How do I get an electrician licence?
Through the body that licenses electricians where you'll work. In the US that's a state board, which sets its own rules for experience and exams. In Canada, electrician is one of the trades with a Red Seal exam after your apprenticeship, and in New Zealand the Electrical Workers Registration Board sets the exams, with practical assessments done through your training provider.
Is the plumber journeyman exam the same in every state?
It isn't. Plumbing is one of the US trades where licence rules differ most between states, and each board decides which exam it uses and what experience it wants first. Ask the board in the state where you'll work before you book.
How do I get a food safety certificate?
In the US, ask the health department where the business is, because state and local regulators set their own food safety rules. Many use the FDA Food Code as their model, but the certificate they accept can still differ, so check before you pay for a course or exam.
What is the contractors licensing board?
It's the state body in the US that licenses builders and other contractors and decides which exam you take. Because every state has its own, a contractor licence from one state doesn't tell you what another state will ask for.
Do I need a licence to be a professional engineer?
To become a licensed professional engineer (PE) in the US, yes. NCEES calls the FE exam the usual first step, and it's meant for students close to finishing an accredited engineering degree or recent graduates. After that, each state's licensing board sets its own rules for the PE licence.
Sources: FDA, NCEES, Red Seal and 2 more. Checked October 2026.
- FDA: Food Code ↗
- NCEES: FE exam ↗
- Red Seal: Exam preparation guide ↗
- CSCS ↗
- Electrical Workers Registration Board: Exams and practical assessments ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.