Your credential document will be issued by its accrediting body — not your community college or Virginia Ready. Please see the descriptions and examples below to learn more about the credential document that we need you to upload in order to earn your $1,000 Credential Achievement Award.
Navigate to your specific credential here:
Your credential may be issued by one of several accrediting bodies, depending on the school that you attended. If you have questions about which accrediting body will be issuing your credential, please contact your community college.
HEALTHCARE
AAPC (Professional Coder)
- CREDENTIAL ISSUED:
- Certified Professional Coder
- For those who received their Professional Coder certification (verified by American Association of Professional Coders (AAPC)) we are looking for your certification from AAPC. This document should have a white background. In the background, there will be a faded book and stylized healthcare symbol in a large circle. It will say “AAPC” at the top next to the AAPC logo, and “Certified Professional Coder” in the center of the certification.
- If you have not yet received the mailed copy of your credential, we can accept a screenshot of the AAPC registry lookup (found here: https://www.aapc.com/certification/credential-verification.aspx)
American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT)
- CREDENTIAL ISSUED:
- Certified Phlebotomy Technician
- For those who received their Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) from the American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians (ASPT), we are looking for the beige certificate with a black border, cursive writing, and six squares at the bottom; one of which will have an “ASPT Valid” sticker. Alternatively, we can accept the white document that says “The American Society of Phlebotomy Technicians. Inc.” (in red) which contains the membership card in the bottom right corner.
ASCP Board of Certification (Phlebotomy)
- CREDENTIAL ISSUED:
- Phlebotomy Technician
- For those who received their Phlebotomy Technician Credential under the ASCP, we are looking for the beige / tan certificate with the wide, dark blue bar at the top. In this bar, it should say “ASCP Board of Certification.”
EMT
- CREDENTIAL ISSUED:
- EMT
- For those who received their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Credential – we are looking for your EMT card. This card will have “National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians The nations EMS certification” at the top and your registry number, expiration date, and provider level towards the bottom.
NHA (National Healthcareer Association)
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS)
- Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)
- Clinical Medical Assistant
- EKG Technician
- Pharmacy Technician
- Phlebotomy Technician
- For those testing under the National Healthcare Association (NHA), we are looking for the PDF with the light blue border and gold seal. In order to view your credential, it is accessible from your NHA account by logging in and clicking “View My Achievements” (PDF option).
Patient Care Technician (PCT)
- CREDENTIAL ISSUED:
- Patient Care Technician
- The document we are looking for says “National Center for Competency Testing” curved at the top, your name towards the middle, and 3 circular stamps / emblems at the bottom.
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Pharmacy Technician Certification Board
- CREDENTIAL ISSUED:
- Certified Pharmacy Technician
- For those who received their Certified Pharmacy Technician certification (CPhT) from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), we are looking for the document with a large, light seafoam green check mark in the background and a thin seafoam green border.
Virginia Board of Nursing
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- Certified Nurse Aide
- Medication Aide
- For those who are testing under the Virginia Board of Nursing, we need a copy of your certificate from the Virginia Board of Nursing. The document we are looking for should have a blue background, saying “Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health Professions” at the top, “Certificate to Practice as a Certified Nurse Aide” in the center, the expiration date is in the lower left corner, and your license number is in the lower right corner.
- If you have not yet received the mailed copy of your credential, we can accept a screenshot of the Virginia Board of Nursing (VABON) registry lookup (found here: https://dhp.virginiainteractive.org/lookup/index)
BUSINESS/IT
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- AWS Cloud Practitioner
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect
- For those who are in Amazon Web Services (AWS) programs we need a copy of your AWS certificate. It should have a light gray background with the words “AWS Certified” at the top. In between the words AWS Certified will be a white checkmark in the center of an orange hexagon.
OR - For those who are in Amazon Web Services (AWS) programs we need a copy of your AWS certificate. It has a black background and says “aws certified” at the top. Your name will appear underneath those words. Towards the bottom, there is an orange rectangle that contains a validation number and a validation link. The very bottom of the document will have an issue date and an expiration date.
Comp TIA
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- CompTIA A+
- CompTIA Network+
- CompTIA Security+
- CompTIA Linux+
- CompTIA Network+
- CompTIA IT Fundamentals
- For those who are in programs under Comp TIA we need a copy of your Comp TIA Certification. It should have a red and white background and say the course name on the left side of the document. Directions on how to access the certificate can be found here:
- Log in at www.certmetrics.com/comptia/login.aspx
- Click on Certifications Tab
- On the far right, under the Download column there is a PDF link for each earned certificate.
- Click on the link to begin a download of the PDF
Customer Service & Sales
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED
- Customer Service and Sales Certified Specialist
- The credential is issued from the National Retail Federation and lists the holder's name, the credential number, and the issue date.
SKILLED TRADES
ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence)
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- Diesel Repair Technician
- For those who received their Automotive credential through ASE, we are looking for the certificate with the light blue and white marbled background . It has a thin orange border around the edge. The top left corner has a blue gear shape with “ASE” in the middle of the gear. In the top middle, the certificate says “National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence” The certificate also includes a list of “Areas of Demonstrated Achievement” and their expiration dates.
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AWS (American Welding Society)
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- Certified Welder
- Flux Core Arc Welding (FCAW)
- Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)
- Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)
- Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)
- For those who are in programs under the American Welding Society (AWS) we need to see a copy of your Performance Qualification Record. Your record may not look exactly like the example below, but should show a passing or satisfactory grade.
- We can also accept a picture of your wallet card from American Welding Society.
CDL-A (Commercial Drivers License Class A)
- CREDENTIAL ISSUED:
- Commercial Driver’s License – A
- For those taking a CDL-A course, the actual plastic copy of the Virginia Commercial Driver’s license is what VA Ready needs in order to process your award.
- It must say Class A.
- It must be from Virginia.*
*If you have a CDL license that has “Non-domicile,” it may be accepted (on a case-by-case basis) and can potentially be eligible for the Credential Achievement Award so long as the proper additional documentation is provided (see options below):
• Lease for current residence (at least one-year lease)
• Current mortgage statement
• Letter from employer proving a start date at least one year prior to today
• Pay stub from current employer of at least a year
• Car registration from the Virginia DMV
MSI (Manufacturing Skills Institute)
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- Manufacturing Technician Level 1 (MT1)
- For those who received their Manufacturing Credential under MSI, we are looking for the white certificate that has a circle made of 4 puzzle pieces (green, yellow, purple, teal) in the background. It will also say Manufacturing Skills Institute at the top of the certificate.
NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research)
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- Heavy Equipment Operations
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Power Line Worker
- Power Industry Fundamentals
- Welding
- We can accept a picture or file upload of the NCCER Credential, listing your name, the specific credential, and the date the credential was received. Here's what this needs to look like:
- We can also accept your NCCER Transcript showing you completed the specific level listed on your Virginia Ready application. It must show your NCCER number, your name, the level(s) you completed, and the date it was completed. Here's what that should look like:
- We can also accept a copy of the credential from the registry. This can be accessed on this page as long as you have your card number and log in information. A picture or screenshot of the entire completed training tab (once you type in your card number) is what VA Ready needs in order to process your certification application. This picture or screenshot must include your name and your NCCER card number that is located at the top left corner of the page. It may take 24 hours after your exam for the registry to be updated.
VSRA (Virginia Ship Repair Association)
- CREDENTIALS ISSUED:
- Marine Trade Training: Welding
- Marine Trade Training: Electrical
- Marine Trade Training: Pipefitting
- Marine Trade Training: Coating
- Marine Trade Training: Sheet Metal
- Marine Trade Training: Outside Machinist
- For those who are in programs under Virginia Ship Repair Association (VSRA) for the Marine Trade Training programs we are looking for the certificate with the black border and the red corners inside the border (you will receive this during your OSHA training). It will say “Skills Certification” at the top.
