Tag: Certifications and Licenses

The Impact of Certifications on Earnings across States and Occupations

This article is part of a series of reports on new estimates from the Labor Market Information Institute State Certification and Licenses Data Tables. Find previous blog posts in this series here.

For workers adapting to changing economic conditions, non-degree credentials can help with retraining and gaining new skill sets. But do these non-degree credentials also increase earnings? Very little information has been available regarding the relevant earnings outcomes (we know much more about earnings from degrees). Utilizing micro-data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), the LMI Institute aims to improve our understanding of the value of licenses and certifications for earnings potential.

This month, we look at the earnings of workers who have a certification but no license. Nationally, those with only a certification earn $363 or 44% more than those with neither a certification nor license.

Below we list the states with the greatest percent difference in earnings associated with a certification. The top two states are Maryland and Virginia, each with a difference of more than $700 in weekly median earnings for those with a certification only compared to those with no certification or license.

Top 10 States Weekly Median Earnings: Difference Between Those with a Certification Only and Those with Neither a Certification nor a License (Ranked by Percent Difference)
Rank	State	Percent Difference	Earnings Difference
1	Virginia	79%	$714
2	Maryland	76%	$731
3	Nebraska	76%	$572
4	West Virginia	72%	$520
5	Georgia	71%	$548
6	Arizona	70%	$554
7	Louisiana	65%	$486
8	New Mexico	65%	$456
9	Kentucky	64%	$460
10	Nevada	63%	$468

Results for all states are listed on our Tableau dashboard. The lowest earnings difference, in Indiana, was $224 — workers with a certification only earn only 29% more than those with neither certifications nor licenses. The lowest percent difference in earnings, in Ohio, was 28% — wages for workers with a certification only earned $226 more than their counterparts without a certification.

While the CPS does not include data about what specific certifications are driving these results for states, we can look at whether certifications seem to increase earnings for people in some occupations more than in others. (Results below are national. Details by occupation and state are available to members through LMI Institute.)

Those with only a certification in sales and related occupations earn 57% more than those without a certification or license, $433 more per week on average. Among those who work in legal occupations, people with a certification earn 50% more than their counterparts without a certification, $552 more per week. In contrast, people working in healthcare support occupations earned only $56 more in median weekly earnings with a certification. Results for all occupations are listed on our Tableau dashboard.

Top 10 Occupations Difference Between Those with a Certification Only and Those with Neither a Certification nor a License (Ranked by Percent Difference)
Rank	Occupation	Percent Difference	Earnings Difference
1	Sales and related occupations	57%	$433
2	Legal occupations	50%	$552
3	Business and financial operations occupations	36%	$427
4	Construction and extraction occupations	35%	$276
5	Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	35%	$189
6	Personal care and service occupations	33%	$171
7	Management occupations	32%	$446
8	Production occupations	29%	$205
9	Food preparation and serving related occupations	27%	$132
10	Community and social services occupations	24%	$211

State Certifications and Licenses data allows the user to analyze earnings data with and without a certification or license, or with a certification only (no license) by state. The LMI Institute suppressed all data with less than 30 observations from its analysis. As a result, occupational earnings data for workers with a certification only are limited to just the largest states. It is important to note that these are only estimates and we have not tested the degree of correlation or statistical significance of the differences in certification attainment and wages. We hope these initial estimates will encourage further research.

The LMI Institute recently presented a webinar on “How LMI Institute State Certifications and Licenses Data Informs State-Level Research” to its members as part of the LMI Workforce Roundtable Series. This data can drive research into sub-population attainment of certifications and licenses and high-value credentials required for occupations or that substantially increase earnings. Watch this presentation to learn more about how your state can benefit from increase understanding of certification and license attainment and their associated earnings! See the Webinar HERE.

Use the data explorer below to see where your state ranks relative to the Nation and its Region in the difference in earnings for workers with and without a Certification (but no License). Select your state’s Region to explore how your Region’s occupations with the greatest difference between workers with and without a certification (but no license). Hover over the data for more details on certification attainment and earnings with and without a certification (but no license). [1]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Current Population Survey collects information on the prevalence of certifications and licenses in the United States, published annually. Using this data, the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute produced state-level estimates on the prevalence of certifications and licenses, including tables comparing certification and licensure by educational attainment across occupations, age, race and ethnicity, and gender.

[1] All data with less than 30 observations has been suppressed from the data. Observations for earnings are generally lower than for attainment and are generally lowest at lower levels of education.

September 2, 2020

How Trends in Certification Attainment and Associated Earnings vary by Race, Ethnicity, and Education

The above map shows the attainment rate for each state by selected population. Scroll over your state to see each state’s exact attainment rate and earnings associated with a certification or license, with a certification only or neither a certification nor license. Click on your state or select it in the dropdown menu to see how its earnings and attainment compare across race and with the United States. Use the dropdown menu to select the level of education you are interested in viewing. Contact the LMI Institute to learn how you can embed this visualization on your site.[1]

Among the US population aged 25 and older, the percentage of the population with a certification but no license (“certification only”) is similar across all racial and ethnic groups, with a marginally higher rate for White and Asian persons than Black or Hispanic persons.

Persons with higher levels of education are more likely to have a certification only than less educated persons regardless of race and/or ethnicity. Roughly 1% of all persons with only a high school diploma have a certification only, compared to 2.5% of all persons with an Associate’s degree and 2.5% of all persons with a Bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education.

Variation in certification only attainment by race is slightly more apparent at the Advanced Degree level (Master’s and Above), the level of education with the highest certification only attainment rate across race and/or ethnicities. 3.7% of Black or African American persons with an advanced degree have a certification only, while only 2.8% of White and Hispanic or LatinX persons with similar education have a certification only.

Despite similar rates of certification only attainment across race and/or ethnicity, including when analyzed by level of education, certification only attainment is not associated with equal returns to earnings across race and/or ethnicity.

	White	Black or African-American	Asian	Hispanic or LatinX
With a Certification Only (No License)	$959	$843	$1,154	$882
Neither a Certification nor License	$808	$660	$848	$699

White workers with a certification only had $142 or 17.8% more in median weekly earnings than non-credentialed, similar workers. The median weekly earnings of Asian workers with a certification only were $306 or 36.1% greater than for workers with neither a certification nor license. Black or African American workers earned $183 (27.7%) and Hispanic or LatinX workers earned $183 (26.2%) more with a certification only than their peers with neither a certification nor license.

	White	Black or African-American	Asian	Hispanic or LatinX
No High School Diploma	9.8%	11.6%	9.1%	28.6%
HS Diploma/GED or Equivalent	28.4%	33.1%	18.3%	31.0%
Some College, No Degree	15.9%	19.2%	8.6%	13.9%
Associate’s Degree	10.5%	10.4%	6.7%	8.1%
Bachelor’s Degree	22.5%	16.4%	32.6%	12.9%
Advanced Degree	13.0%	9.3%	24.7%	5.6%

Education plays a critical role in understanding these apparent differences by race in the returns to earnings from certification attainment. More educated workers are more likely to earn more, and are more likely to have a certification, while less educated workers are more likely to see a larger return to earnings from certification attainment. Black and Hispanic workers are less likely to have a degree than White or Asian workers, and differences in education levels by race could explain why Black and Hispanic workers have increased returns to earnings with a certification, and lower overall earnings, than White workers. With the recent publication of a fifth year of CPS data on certifications and licenses, the LMI Institute is creating five-year CPS estimates that will allow users to better understand the relationship between race, level of education, and the returns of certification attainment to earnings.

State Certifications and Licenses data allows the user to analyze earnings data with and without a certification or license, or with a certification only (no license) by state. The LMI Institute suppressed all data with less than 30 observations from its analysis, severely limiting the number of states for which earnings data for workers with a certification only is available by race and level of education. It is important to note that these are only estimates and we have not tested the degree of correlation or statistical significance of the differences in certification attainment and wages. We hope these initial estimates will encourage further research.

[1] All data with less than 30 observations has been suppressed from the data. Observations for earnings are generally lower than for attainment and are generally lowest at lower levels of education.

August 3, 2020

Why Certification-Attainment Matters for the US Workforce

The above figure shows the certification attainment rate for workers in the United States and a selected state by degree status. Select your state to see how its certification attainment rate compares with the United States. Contact the LMI Institute to learn how you can embed this visualization on your site.

This article is part of a series of reports on new estimates from the Labor Market Information Institute State Certification and Licenses Data Tables. Find previous blog posts in this series here.

While 24% of US full-time workers have a certification or license, less than 2.5% of US full-time workers have only a certification. Non-licensed workers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia are more likely to have a certification than similar workers in the rest of the country. Across almost every state, non-licensed workers with a degree are more likely to attain certifications than non-licensed workers without a degree.

These certifications increase the median weekly earnings of non-licensed U.S. workers by $295 or 44% on average. Non-licensed workers without a degree earn $184 or 26% more with a certification.

The low attainment of certifications among various groups suggests that efforts to upskill or better recognize skills among these workers through certification could substantially increase their weekly earnings. Comparing non-licensed workers with and without a certification in the Information Technology and Financial Activities industries, we see a difference in median weekly earnings of more than $500. Shifting our view to look at occupations across all industries, we see that the differences in earnings for workers with and without a certification are greatest for workers in Management and Sales occupations—a difference of $410 and $403, respectively.

Non-licensed workers in non-White and Hispanic populations also greatly benefit from certification attainment in several states. In Illinois, non-licensed Black or African American and Hispanic/LatinX workers show an increase in median weekly earnings of more than $400 with a certification.

White and Asian non-licensed workers are slightly more likely to have a certification than Black or Hispanic workers, but those differences are small (within 0.5 percentage points). Only 2% of Black or African American and 1.5% of Hispanic/LatinX non-licensed workers have a certification. Across states, certification-only attainment rates vary more for non-white racial or ethnic workers than for white workers. Nearly 5% of Black or African American non-licensed workers in Missouri have a certification, in contrast with Mississippi, where 1.5% of Black or African American non-licensed workers have a certification.

It is important to note that these are only estimates and we have not tested the degree of correlation or statistical significance of the differences in certification attainment and wages. We hope these initial estimates will encourage further research.

The LMI Institute recently presented a webinar on “How LMI Institute State Certifications and Licenses Data Informs State-Level Research” to its members as part of the LMI Workforce Roundtable Series. This data can drive research into sub-population attainment of certifications and licenses and high-value credentials required for occupations or that substantially increase earnings. Watch this presentation to learn more about how your state can benefit from increase understanding of certification and license attainment and their associated earnings! See the Webinar HERE.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Current Population Survey collects information on the prevalence of certifications and licenses in the United States, published annually. Using this data, the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute produced state-level estimates on the prevalence of certifications and licenses, including tables comparing certification and licensure by educational attainment across occupations, age, race and ethnicity, and gender.

June 16, 2020
The Role of Certifications and Licenses in State Post-Secondary Attainment Goals

The above map shows state post-secondary attainment goals. Scroll over a state to see more information on its attainment goals.

This article is part of a series of reports on new estimates from the Labor Market Information Institute State Certification and Licenses Data Tables. Find previous blog posts in this series here.

Forty-two states have set goals for the attainment of post-secondary credentials, including degrees and certificates. This blogpost explores how these goals vary by state with special attention to whether and how states measure the attainment of professional credentials like certifications and licenses. [1]

Fifty States, Forty-Two Different Attainment Goals

State educational attainment goals are generally focused on increasing the overall level of education among state residents. States prioritize different types of credentials, including some and excluding others, and set goals for different sub-populations, focusing only on people in the workforce or setting specific goals for younger workers and new labor market entrants. States measure progress toward their goals in different ways as well, using different national and state databases to track educational attainment.

There are some similarities across states as well. Among the 42 states that have set goals, 31 measure attainment among the population ages 25 to 64, regardless of employment status.

Goals in three states measure the attainment of credentials only among the state’s workforce. Six states aim to increase the attainment of post-secondary credentials among their young adult population (ages 25-34). Minnesota and Washington set their attainment goals for working adults ages 25 to 44. Colorado and Pennsylvania aim to increase educational attainment among persons from traditionally underrepresented populations, reducing gaps in attainment among white and non-white populations.

Attainment goals also vary in their consideration of professional credentials. All 42 state attainment goals include the attainment of traditional degrees – including both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. Six states only consider the attainment of degrees in their goal. Sixteen states additionally include certificates. The remaining 20 states track the attainment of any post-secondary credentials, including professional credentials like certifications and licenses and apprenticeship programs.

However, tracking the attainment of certificates and professional credentials can prove challenging for states. Federal datasets that collect information on persons’ level of education typically only collect data on degree types, and do not collect data on certificates or professional credentials. The next blogpost in this series will further explore available sources providing data on the attainment of professional credentials.

Measuring Attainment: Stories from Three States

Alabama, Iowa, and Washington all track the attainment of any post-secondary credential towards their higher education attainment goals. However, how these states track post-secondary credentials, and which post-secondary credentials each state tracks, varies.

Washington Student Achievement Council Educational Attainment Dashboard. Explore this dashboard at https://wsac.wa.gov/roadmap/attainment

The Washington Student Achievement Council set a 10-year goal in 2013 for 70% of Washington adults aged 25-44 to have a postsecondary credential by 2023. Washington’s plan to increase educational attainment in the state specifically calls on increased attainment of “postsecondary certificate[s], apprenticeship[s], or degree[s].”[2]Washington Student Achievement Council Educational Attainment Dashboard

Washington tracks attainment of degrees using 1-year American Community Survey estimates[3], and estimates the attainment of high-value certificates using data annually produced by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and Workforce (CEW) on behalf of the Lumina Stronger Nation Report.[4] The CEW derives state level estimates for certificate attainment from U.S. Census and IPEDS data.

Iowa Laborshed Survey Analysis – Educational Attainment Dashboard. Explore this dashboard at https://www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/laborshed-studies

In 2016, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad set a goal for 70% of Iowa’s workforce to have “education or training beyond high school…including postsecondary degrees, certificates, and other high-quality credentials” by 2025.[5] Future Ready Iowa and Iowa Workforce Development track the attainment of postsecondary credentials using the state’s Laborshed Survey.[6] In addition to degree attainment, Iowa counts the attainment of “some education beyond high school, no degree obtained,” “vocational training,” and “trade certification” towards its attainment goal.

Alabama Works! Success Plus Educational Attainment Dashboard. Explore more at https://alabamaworks.com/successplus/

Alabama Works! set a goal for 60% of the state’s working age population to hold “some type of certificate, credential or degree of value” by 2025 in response to an executive order from Governor Kay Ivey in 2017. Alabama Works tracks the attainment of postsecondary credentials using data from the Current Population Survey. In addition to degree attainment, the Current Population Survey additionally tracks the attainment of certifications and licenses, of which Alabama specifically tracks the attainment of certifications and licenses that are required for an individual’s job.

Read more about the data sources mentioned in this article in our February 2020 blog post on certifications and licenses.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Current Population Survey collects information on the prevalence of certifications and licenses in the United States, published annually. Using this data, the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute produced state-level estimates on the prevalence of certifications and licenses, including tables comparing certification and licensure by educational attainment across occupations, age, race and ethnicity, and gender.

[1] All data on state attainment goals provided by the Lumina Foundation and aggregated by HCM Strategists, unless otherwise noted. http://strongernation.luminafoundation.org/report/2019/media/Attainment_Goal_state%20rundown_021519.pdf

[2] https://wsac.wa.gov/the-2013-roadmap

[3] https://wsac.wa.gov/roadmap/attainment

[4] http://strongernation.luminafoundation.org/report/2019/#page/sources

[5] https://governor.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Executive%20Order%2088.pdf

[6] https://www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/laborshed-studies

January 13, 2020

Trends in Certification and License Attainment and Earnings by Education Level

The above figure shows the attainment rate and difference in median weekly earnings between workers with and without a certification or license by education level.

This article is part of a series of reports on new estimates from the Labor Market Information Institute State Certification and Licenses Data Tables. Find previous blog posts in this series here.

The attainment of certifications and licenses, and their associated earnings, varies by education level. U.S. workers with a degree attain certifications and licenses at a higher rate than workers without a degree. However, workers with less than a degree had the largest and most consistent boost in earnings relative to their non-credentialed counterparts. Workers without a degree earned at least $95 more with a certification or license in every state.

Key Definitions and Methods

The attainment rate is the percentage of the population with a certification or license

To find the attainment rate for various sub-populations, we divide the number of people in the sub-population with a certification or license by the total number of people in the sub-population.

The difference in earnings is found by subtracting the earnings of people without a certification or license from the earnings of people with a certification or license

Attainment by Education Level

Thirty percent of full-time workers with a degree and 11 percent of full-time workers without a degree have a certification or license in the United States.

When examined by level of education, the attainment rate continues to vary by state. The percent of workers with a degree and a certification or license varies from 37.1% in Wyoming to 23.8% in the District of Columbia. The percent of workers without a degree and a certification or license varies from 16.4% in Alaska to 7.8% in South Carolina. Attainment rates of certifications and licenses are high in Wyoming and Alaska regardless of education level. 35.8% of Alaskans with a degree have a certification or license, the 4^th highest rate among states for workers with a degree. 14.3% of Wyomingites without a degree have a certification or license, also the 4^th highest among states for workers without a degree.

The above figure shows the attainment rate by education level. The attainment rate is the percentage of the population with a certification or license.

Earnings by Education Level

While we might expect the increase in earnings associated with the attainment of certifications or licenses to accelerate with higher levels of education, workers without a degree had the largest difference in earnings between workers with and without a certification or license. In fact, workers with a degree earned less with a certification or license than their non-credentialed counterparts in two states, Washington and Oklahoma.

Full-time workers with a degree had $1,229 in median weekly earnings with a certification or license, $68 more than similar workers without a certification or license.

Earnings for workers with a degree and a certification or license also vary by state. Workers with a degree in Mississippi had the lowest median weekly earnings with a certification or license of any state, $974, although these workers earned $85 more than similar, non-credentialed workers. In the District of Columbia, workers with a degree and a certification or license had $1,823 in median weekly earnings, the most of any state. These workers earned $294 more than similar workers without a certification or license. Workers with a degree and a certification or license also earned $200 more than their non-credentialed counterparts in Hawaii ($241), Nevada ($221), and New York ($209).

However, workers with a degree earned less with a certification or license than without in Washington and Oklahoma. Workers with a degree in Washington earned $1,379, or $7 less, with a certification or license, and workers with a degree in Oklahoma earned $1,024, or $12 less, with a certification or license, relative to workers without a certification or license in each respective state.

The above figure shows median weekly earnings with and without a certification or license by education level. Earnings without a certification or license are in orange, earnings with a certification or license are in blue.

While U.S. workers without a degree only had $796 in median weekly earnings with a certification or license, these earnings were $104 or 15% more than those of similar workers without a certification or license.

In contrast to workers with a degree, workers without a degree earned at least $95 more with a certification or license in every state. Workers without a degree in Colorado had $1,010 in median weekly earnings with a certification or license, $251 more than similar workers without a certification or license. Colorado workers without a degree had the largest difference in earnings between workers with and without a certification or license of any state. Workers without a degree also earned $200 more than their non-credentialed counterparts in Hawaii ($237), Alaska ($214), and Arizona ($203). Workers without a degree in Alaska had median weekly earnings of $1,022 with a certification or license, the most of any state.

Workers without a degree in Florida had the lowest median weekly earnings with a certification or license of any state, $740. These workers only earned $95 more than similar workers without a certification or license. Workers without a degree with a certification or license only earned less than $100 more than their non-credentialed counterparts in Arkansas ($98), Missouri ($97), Ohio ($96), Vermont ($95), Nebraska ($95), Florida ($95).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Current Population Survey collects information on the prevalence of certifications and licenses in the United States, published annually. Using this data, the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute produced state-level estimates on the prevalence of certifications and licenses, including tables comparing certification and licensure by educational attainment across occupations, age, race and ethnicity, and gender.

December 6, 2019

New Data on the Attainment of Certifications and Licenses

The above map provides state-level attainment rates. Scroll over your state to see how it compares nationally! The attainment rate is the percentage of the population with a certification or license, according to the LMI Institute’s analysis of Current Population Survey data made available by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This article is part of a series of reports on new estimates from the Labor Market Information Institute State Certification and Licenses Data Tables.

Eighteen percent of the United States civilian non-institutional population aged 16 years or older has a certification or license. Across states, the percentage of the population with a certification or license ranges from 15 percent in California to 22 percent in Maine. Across occupations, the difference in average weekly earnings for those with a certification or license ranges from $70 to $744.

While non-academic credentials are not as common as a college degree, they do boost employability and earnings, providing opportunities for those with and without a college degree to advance their career. Attainment of certifications and licenses increases by education level and is generally associated with higher earnings.

Key Definitions and Methods

The attainment rate is the percentage of the population with a certification or license

To find the attainment rate for various sub-populations, we divide the number of people in the sub-population with a certification or license by the total number of people in the sub-population.

The difference in earnings is found by subtracting the earnings of people without a certification or license from the earnings of people with a certification or license

As the first state-level estimates of certification and license attainment for the United States, the State Certification and Licenses Data Tables are a new tool for specialists in workforce, education, and economic development. Previous state-level research into certifications and licenses sought to categorize and analyze licensed occupations, measure the burden of attaining licensure, or estimate the count of different licenses nationwide. The State Certification and Licenses Data Tables report the labor force status and earnings for the population with and without a certification or license by age, gender, race and ethnicity, occupation, and industry.

The State Certification and Licenses Data Tables have several key limitations derived from the design of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey (CPS). First, due to the limited number of questions included in the survey instrument, it is difficult to separate the attainment of certifications and licenses. Licenses are authorized by a government licensing agency and convey legal authority to work in an occupation, while certifications are awarded by non-governmental bodies. Second, the survey does not collect data on the specific certifications or licenses held by individuals. For example, CPS data only notes whether a worker in a computer and mathematical occupation has a certification and/or license or not – it doesn’t distinguish whether the individual held a Comptia Security+ or Project Management Professional certification. Lastly, the State Certification and Licenses Data Tables provide limited information on persons with lower levels of education and in smaller racial/ethnic groups due to smaller available samples. To account for this smaller sample size, the State Certification and Licenses Data Tables rely on a 3 year estimate of CPS data currently spanning 2016 to 2018.

Despite these limitations, the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute is excited for its state LMI partners to engage with the State Certification and Licenses Data Tables. State LMI shops have the necessary familiarity, data, and tools to understand these estimates within the context of their state. Combined with an understanding of their state’s trends, LMI researchers can utilize these estimates to better understand of the effect of non-degree credentials on labor market outcomes in their state. LMI Institute will also be publishing public views for a broader audience. See the map above and follow the link to explore the data.

November 7, 2019

New Report: How Credentials Help Veterans Transition to Civilian Work

According to a new report from Strada, Veterans Without Degrees, veterans not only hold more non-degree credentials than the general population, but veterans with credentials also have better employment and earnings outcomes than those without.

Furthermore, the report found that credentials obtained during veterans’ military service represent marketable skills when they enter the civilian workforce. However, much of the training and education provided by the military is not documented in a way that is applicable to the civilian job market. Given the positive labor force outcomes of credentialed veterans, the report recommends that further steps be taken to make sure that veteran education is better documented in a way that is recognized in the broader economy.

This report is part of a growing body of research into the impact of non-degree credentials on employment and earnings outcomes. The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC), with the LMI Institute, conducted research into veteran outcomes in summer 2019 utilizing the Current Population Survey (CPS) microdata, and found similar patterns of attainment and outcomes. That report can be found here. The LMI Institute is also using the CPS microdata to assess the impact that licenses and certifications have in the broader workforce, which you can learn more about here.

October 15, 2019
Professional Certifications and Licenses Increase Earnings and Reduce Unemployment, New Data Shows

Written by Anuradha Dhar

At the end of June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) at the Department of Labor released a report on 2018 data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) on the role of professional certifications and occupational licenses in the U.S. labor market. Their most recent annual data was released in January 2019.

This data, produced since 2015, is the first to provide such comprehensive insights into the prevalence of certifications and licenses and related earnings. The Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute has been working with this data since 2015 to produce the State Certification and License Database, found here.

Certifications and licenses are credentials that demonstrate an individual’s competency related to a skill or knowledge used in performing specific jobs. Licenses are issued by a federal, state or local government agency; certifications are issued by nongovernmental certification bodies.

(more…)

July 9, 2019