Office of Teaching Initiatives

Career and Technical Education Occupational Work Experience Policy

Individuals who apply for a Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificate may be required to complete occupational work experience in the subject area of the certificate sought, depending on the certification pathway/option selected on the application. The pathway/option requirements for specific CTE subject area certificate titles are available on the Search Certification Requirements webpage.

The Career and Technical Education Experience Requirements webpage describes the required occupational work experience for specific CTE subject area certificate titles. Occupational work experience does not include teaching a trade or technical area and does not include experiences where individuals earned college credit.

Occupational work experiences may be paid, volunteer, and/or self-employed. The required length of time for the occupational work experience varies by certification pathway/option.

The following information must be submitted using the NEW Verification of Occupational Experience form 1/2023 or by the employer, hiring organization, or certificate applicant (self-employed experience only) through a letter on business letterhead. The document(s) can be sent to the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) by:

• Sending an email to otiexpverif@nysed.gov with the subject line, “Attn: CTE”, or
  
  
• Mailing the document(s) to New York State Education Department, Office of Teaching Initiatives, 89 Washington Avenue, Room 5N EB, Albany, New York, 12234.

Required Information

• Candidate name and date of birth or last four digits of the social security number.
  
  
• Position title held.
  
  
• Description of position responsibilities.
• Certificate applicants should provide sufficient detail in their job description to demonstrate that they have expertise in the occupational field of the position.
  
  
• Start and end dates of the position.
  
  
• Length of time in the position.
• Full-time experience: number of days.
  
  
• Part-time experience: number of full-time equivalent days where a day is considered 7.5 hours for evaluation and computational purposes (occupational work experience only).
  
  
• Signature from a supervisor or higher position title, a human resources department official, other appropriate organization official; the NYC DOE SVA Director (New York City only); or the certificate applicant (self-employed experience only).
  
  
• The position title of the individual who signed the letter/form, the individual’s relationship to the certificate applicant, and the individual’s contact information (email address and phone number).
  
  
• Name and address of employer or hiring organization.
  
  
• For volunteer occupational work experience only, certificate applicants must have held an acceptable industry related credential or had passed an acceptable industry related exam during their volunteer experience, where applicable.
  
  For individuals applying for the Emergency Medical Services 7-12 certificate using volunteer service as an EMT (Advanced, Intermediate, or Basic), they must include the state agency code for the ambulance, advanced life support first responder, or non-transport EMS agency on the verification of experience form or letter from the hiring organization.
  
  
• For self-employed work experience only, certificate applicants must also:
• Send an IRS Schedule C for each year of experience required for the selected application pathway/option to tcert@nysed.gov with the subject line “Attn: CTE” or to the above mailing address (e.g., Option J requires four years of experience and therefore four Schedule C documents would be needed), OR
  
  
• Have two key associates (e.g., accountant, attorney, officer of a supply company) write letters of recommendation on letterhead and send the letters to the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) at tcert@nysed.gov with the subject line “Attn: CTE” or to the above mailing address. The letters should be sent to OTI by the associates and not the certificate applicant. Letters from the certificate applicants’ customers, employees, or family members are not acceptable. The letters must describe the duties and responsibilities of the position with sufficient detail to demonstrate that the certificate applicant has expertise in the occupational field of the position. In addition, the letters must include the current date, certificate applicant name, and date of birth or last four digits of the social security number of the certificate applicant.