NICET issues a certificate (suitable for framing) that can be downloaded through the candidate portal. A wallet card can also be issued upon request. These items are sent at the time of initial certification and a new set is issued upon successful recertification. These documents represent the credential that the candidate earned by demonstrating the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to meet the industry-established certification requirements. The originals ultimately belong to NICET as the issuing organization and secondarily belong to the individual certification holder who earned the credential, not the employer.
More and more NICET certification is becoming a condition of employment, a jurisdictional requirement or some type of qualifier for work in the subfield areas that NICET issues certifications. Unfortunately, this has led to individuals or employers attempting to falsify certification documents.
Hard copies of the original certificate contain security measures to reduce the risk of forgeries. The most obvious way to distinguish an original from a copy is the “foil” treatment on the certificate. NICET’s original stock has a blue, shiny, metallic treatment that is difficult to duplicate with standard office equipment. NICET adds the certification holder’s name, certification level, field, subfield, certification number and the signature of the Chairman of the Board. It is possible for individuals to modify copies and misrepresent their credentials. NICET has seen these forgery attempts in varying degrees from a complete misrepresentation, extended expiration dates, higher levels obtained, etc.
The wallet card is a portable version of the certificate. Technicians can carry it with them on the job and it can be used to verify credentials in the field. Rarely do we see the wallet card modified to misrepresent the credential. So, having a matching wallet card and an original certificate can give some assurance of reliability that the information is accurate.
The best way to verify that an individual holds the credential they claim to have, is to use NICET’s online Certification Directory search. Candidates may request hard copies of these documents by submitting this request form.
The search works best when only the “Certification ID” field is populated. The certification ID is the number that represents the credentials for the individual listed on certificates and wallet cards. It is also possible to look someone up using last name and first initial. Please contact NICET anytime you can’t find someone claiming to be NICET certified using the online search or if you suspect a certificate and wallet card have been altered.