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The Value of Licensing for the Trades

What’s the Value of Licensing for the Trades? Licensing is a rigorous process of training and learning. Every trade contractor must go through the process to get licensed. Having and maintaining a License is a seal of approval for accomplishing a set skill.

A license certifies the qualification to perform a particular task. It not only elevates an individual’s value but signifies competency. A license also protects an industry’s standards of quality and skill set. Licensing is a measure that prevents nonskilled and nonlicensed from performing work. Licensing is the legal value of an industry and elevates the standards.

Licensing is the mark of a Professional

It’s a Trade Standard that is required for performance. It limits who can and who can’t perform certain work. It defines a person’s capability and skill-set. A license is the final stamp mark given to a person who has earned the title. Having a License means you are on top of your game.

How would the Trades hold Value without Licensing?

The risk of no licensing for the trades is the decrease in workmanship quality. If you are a Licensed Contractor you know all too well you don’t just pick up a hammer. It takes time to learn a trade. It requires skill and knowledge for proper installation. It requires know-how to read blueprints and layouts. It’s a special understanding of how systems work together. It’s about the health and safety of the public for proper installation.

If the trades didn’t need licensing then anyone could perform the work. Pay would decrease, along with the value of the trade. Society would be at risk for improper exposure to hazards from poor workmanship. Can you imagine allowing a doctor to perform open-heart surgery on you without a license? The risk, let alone the value, is exponential if licensing wasn’t mandated for the trades.

Dedicated Licensing for the Trades

From plumbers to electricians in the trades industry, contractors need to have a dedicated license. But unlike a doctor or dental license, contractors within the trade industry do not need a dedicated shop to work.

Contractors can often operate from their homes, which have to lead to many contractors thinking it is not necessary to get a dedicated license for their trade. Trade licenses are essential to any contractor’s work ethic and so it is necessary for them to get one. Not only are contractors obligated by law to have a license, but it can bring in a multitude of benefits.

Why Licensing Is Important

Licensing provides many benefits to trade workers and can change the way they can perform their job. Here are some of the benefits that a license can provide for trade workers.

It’s the Law

Every state in the United States requires contractors of every trade to have a proper license to provide certain services. And with each state having its laws for trade workers, each state will have a different definition of legal, unlicensed work. So by not having a license, you will limit the amount of work that you can do.

But other than limiting the amount of work that you can do, working without a license can have some serious repercussions. In Florida, construction contractors operating without a proper license will have to face a fine of $1,000 as well as some jail time. And if you get caught a second time, you may have to face up to 5 years in jail.

Seeing how the rule for a license is not too harsh, these punishments and sentences are hardly worth the risk.

Qualification

Licensed trade workers, regardless of the state they operate in, have the education and training required for more complicated tasks. And throughout the process of licensed workers getting their license, they are in the field working under the supervision and tutelage of more experienced contractors. For electricians in most states, they have to go through 8,000 hours of on the job experience, ensuring that they are trained and ready to be out in the field.

Apprenticeships are a great place for most trade workers to learn and put in place what they learn under the supervision of someone who knows what they are doing.

Find Trade Jobs

Another major limitation that workers without a license face are jobs. Finding jobs as a contractor is hard enough, let alone as an uncertified one. Since people only prefer their problems to be handled by a qualified worker, you may find yourself in quite the bind if you do not have a license. Even If you are lucky enough to find someone willing to give you a job, you will not make as much as a qualified worker.

Better Pay

Other than finding jobs, certified contractors are paid a lot more than unlicensed workers. Contractors can demand more money for the jobs that they do thanks to the qualification that they have. They can even make quite a lot from odd jobs and simple wiring.

They can also get work only for a company, which can allow them to skip the day to day odd jobs completely. These exclusive contracts also pay a lot, but they are only possible when a trade worker has a dedicated license.

More Educational

While many will lead you to believe that there is not much to learn in an apprenticeship or a proper licensing program, there is nothing farther from the truth. Licensed trade workers gain immense experience and knowledge throughout their apprenticeship. In the case of construction contractors, other than learning about construction according to the Uniform Building Code, they learn about law and business practices.

These exams test your knowledge of not the source material but also aspects surrounding your specific trade. This will help you perform better at your job, making you able to better compete with trade workers in your area.

Can Work For a Proper Company

By having a license, you can not only have exclusive contracts with other businesses, but you can also be picked up by a good company that specializes in your specific trade. Upon getting picked up by these companies, you can receive some major bonuses like good healthcare and worker insurance. Electricians and construction contractors are especially likely to get insurance, as they work with a lot of dangerous material.

As an unlicensed contractor, you will have to pay for your medical expenses. And although customers have to pay for the medical bills of a contractor while on the job, they are not obligated to if the contractor was illegally performing a licensed job.

Plenty of Resources Offer Help

There are many institutes within the United States that help people prepare for their licenses and also help them get better apprenticeships. These institutes are quite affordable and help students pass the license test the first time. The government also provides several online resources to help people like you understand the options that they have in regards to job prospects. You can also find forms and applications for the exam through proper government websites.

Makes You a More Reliable Service

Another one of the benefits of you getting a trade worker license is that you are a more reliable service. Not only will customers trust you more, but you can expand your list of clients. Being a certified reliable service can also get you better payment for your services.

Although it may seem like an unnecessary expense, becoming a licensed trade worker can help you in the long run. Other than the bonuses of being a licensed contractor, you can also face some serious repercussions for not having a proper license. And seeing how a license isn’t that big of a hassle, the pros outweigh the cons.

Why YOU need to take a Stance for Licensing in the Trades

If you are a licensed Trade professional, then it’s up to you to protect your image. You have worked so hard to train, learn and get your license. Your license is your college degree. The integrity of your license certifies your qualifications. It elevates your value to perform work that others cannot do.

Display the Certification Marks for Plumbers, Electricians and HVAC on trucks to show your Credentials. PHCEid created the Registered Certification Marks for the standards in this industry. With every Plumbing, Electrical and HVAC Contractor displaying their credentials, the public will “see” the value.

Advocate for Licensing

PHCEid.org is an advocate for the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical contractor to properly identify their licensed status for public awareness. Professional Contractors have the license or certification to work in homes and businesses. Without the proper certification and licensing to become a skilled trades professional, it compromises the integrity of the trade industry.

The contractors listed on the PHCEid.org website are licensed or certified according to the codes and laws set forth by each governing state and/or entity. Licensed Contractors work in compliance with local and state codes set forth by their governing trade industry board. Get more information at PHCEid.org or call 844-954-2367 today!

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The Value of Licensing for the Trades