Career Technical Education (CTE) Credential

• Application Opens: Monday, March 2, 2026
• Application Deadline: Friday, July 17, 2026

If you do not currently possess a teaching credential, nor are you currently enrolled in a teaching credential program, you are required to take all three courses in the program. We will next offer these courses starting in Fall 2026. The application below is open for this population only.

CTE Courses:

• EDSS 291 – Foundations in Career Technical Education: Bridging Industry to the Classroom.
• EDSS 392 – Teaching Strategies for the CTE Classroom: Supporting All Students.
• EDSS 393 – Assessment for Instruction in the CTE Classroom.

We set you up for success with our CTE program application process. Our application prepares you to be eligible to request your preliminary CTE credential immediately after submitting all items.

Step 1: Complete the Career Technical Education Credential Program Application

Step 2: Upon completing the application, check your email for a link to upload the other required documents and your work experience verification letter. Your application is not complete until all documents are received. These documents can include:

• Resume/CV
• Transcripts from all institutions attended. High school, GED, bachelor’s, or master’s are sufficient. (Please upload un/officials using the link in your email. DO NOT submit to Sacramento State Admissions).
• Any licenses or credentials
• Proof of CPR completed for all ages (infant, child, and adult. Online or in-person coursework accepted).
• Certificate of Clearance How to Apply for the Certificate of Clearance instructions (Important: Your personal profile must be created on the CTC website on or before the day you get your fingerprints taken. You must answer the personal fitness questions and pay for your Certificate of Clearance.)
• Evidence of three years’ work experience directly related to CTE sector you’re seeking. Can be paid or unpaid, part-time, or full-time, employed or self-employed.

Evidence of work experience should be written and include:

• • Employer’s name, address, and phone number
  • The working relationship of the person signing the verification to the applicant
  • Beginning and end dates of employment
  • A complete description of duties
  • Statement confirming full-time or part-time work. (If employment was less than full-time, the number of hours the applicant was employed is required)
  • A signature by the applicant’s past or present employer(s) on company letterhead

Please see the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website for full details regarding CTE credential issuance and work experience verification definitions.

Work verification sample letter examples

If you currently possess a teaching credential (single subject, multiple subject, education specialist, or designated subjects teaching credential), or you are currently enrolled in a teaching credential program, you are required to take one course.

• EDSS 291 – Foundations in Career Technical Education: Bridging Industry to the Classroom.

We set you up for success with our CTE program application process. Our application prepares you to be eligible to request your preliminary CTE credential immediately after submission and verification of all items.

Step 1: Complete the Career Technical Education Credential Program Application

Step 2: Submit all required documents, including:

• • Resume/CV
  • Unofficial transcripts from your degree-granting institution(s).  (Please upload unofficial transcripts within the application. DO NOT submit to Sacramento State Admissions.)
  • Your valid teaching credential, or your teaching credential program enrollment verification letter.
    • If you are currently enrolled in a teaching credential program, please upload a valid California Commission on Teacher Credentialing permit/credential/authorization for which you have completed the LiveScan fingerprint process or your Certificate of Clearance.
  • Proof of CPR completion for all ages (infant, child, and adult). Online or in-person coursework accepted.
  • Evidence of three years’ work experience directly related to the CTE sector you’re seeking. Can be paid or unpaid, part-time, or full-time, employed or self-employed.
    • Please note: One year of full-time general education teaching K-12 counts as one year of work experience toward the required three years.

Evidence of work experience should be written and include:

• • A signature by the applicant’s past or present employer(s) on company letterhead
  • Statement confirming full-time or part-time work. (If employment was less than full-time, the number of hours the applicant was employed is required)
  • A complete description of duties
  • Beginning and end dates of employment
  • The working relationship of the person signing the verification to the applicant
  • Employer’s name, address, and phone number

Please see the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website for full details regarding CTE credential issuance and work experience verification definitions.

Work verification sample letter examples

If you are currently in your third year of teaching CTE on a preliminary credential or are teaching any subject and also have had a preliminary CTE credential for two years, then you only need to apply for one course:

• EDSS 394 – Advanced Strategies for the CTE Classroom (6 units)

This course will support students in curriculum development, effective instructional strategies, assessment of learning, use of educational technology, classroom and lab management, and supporting diverse K-12 populations in Career Technical Education (CTE). Students will engage in writing supported by research, multiple observations of CTE classrooms, implementing feedback as a way of demonstrating growth, illustrating how their instruction impacts learning, and reflecting on teaching and learning outcomes. Credit/No Credit.

This course will be offered in a hybrid modality from Aug. 26 – Dec. 9, 2026. In-person/hybrid meetings are currently scheduled for 5 – 7:30 p.m. at Napa Hall on the following dates:

• Wednesday, Aug. 26
• Wednesday, Sept. 16
• Wednesday, Oct. 14
• Wednesday, Nov. 11
• Wednesday, Dec. 9

Step 1: Complete the Career Technical Education Credential Program Application

Step 2: Upon completing the application, check your email for a link to upload the required documents for work experience verification, including:

• Work Verification Letter from HR confirming teacher of record in CTE classroom or other course.
• Transcripts showing a course in the U.S. Constitution or proof of passing a test.
• Transcripts showing a course in Health Education for Educators (or similar)
• Proof of CPR completed for all ages (infant, child, and adult; online or in-person coursework accepted).
• Your preliminary CTE credential AND/OR your Single Subject or Multiple Subject teaching credential.

When you submit your application, you will get a confirmation email with your responses, as well as a link to upload supplemental documents. Please DO NOT submit supplemental documents to Sacramento State Admissions.

Please see the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website for full details regarding CTE credential issuance.

We have three different offerings of the CTE credential program. Prospective students for each group MUST have at least one year of relevant work experience.

1. Those who are currently enrolled in a teaching credential program OR those who already possess a teaching credential.
2. Those who would like to move from the industry to teaching CTE AND DO NOT have a teaching credential.
3. Those who are trying to clear their preliminary CTE credential. These folks either already possess a valid teaching credential in any subject OR those with their preliminary CTE credential and have been teaching for 2+ years.

How is work experience defined? Three years or 3,000 hours of work directly related to the industry sector in which you plan to get your CTE credential.

You must have at least one year or 1,000 hours of experience within the last five years, or two years within the last 10 years. This can be paid, unpaid, full-time, part-time combined, employed by a company or self-employed.

What if I don’t have the full three years of work experience? That’s ok, but you must have at least one year of work experience related to the CTE industry sector. The CTC allows substitutions to get to the three years of work experience.

If you’ve completed up to 48 semester units of postsecondary vocational training related to the industry sector(s) named on the credential, the CTC will accept that as a substitution for up to two of the three years of work experience required.

Additionally, one of the following may be used as one year of work experience toward meeting the three years of required experience:

• Possession of an advanced industry certificate related to the industry sector to be named on the preliminary credential, as determined by a Commission-approved CTE program sponsor.
• One year of full-time general education teaching experience providing instructional services in preschool or grades K-12 earned in a public or private school of equivalent status.

How should I document my work experience?

Verification of work experience means written confirmation of the applicant’s qualifying experience, signed by the applicant’s past or present employer(s) on company letterhead that attests to and/or includes ALL of the following:

1. Employer’s name, address, and telephone number.
2. The working relationship of the person signing the verification to the applicant.
3. Beginning and ending dates of employment.
4. A complete description of duties.
5. A statement as to whether or not the employment was full-time. If employment was less than full-time, an accounting of the number of hours the applicant was employed is required.

What if I’m counting self-employment?

If you were self-employed or if your experience was avocational, verification shall include a statement, signed by the applicant under penalty of perjury, detailing the information described in 1–5 above, and must be further substantiated, in writing, by another person(s) having first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s self-employment or avocation, such as the applicant’s accountant, major supplier of goods, or major user of goods or services.

This means we’ll need to collect written pieces from individuals/businesses you’ve done work with stating the number of hours completed on the job/project. You may also submit your business card/business license, or any other piece of documentation to support your self-employment.

Can I apply for more than one preliminary CTE credential?

Yes, you can! All you would need is to document the CTE sector-related required work experience via the work verification letter and supporting documents if self-employed.

Individuals must satisfy ALL of the following requirements:

1. Three years of work experience directly related to each industry sector to be named on the credential. One year equals a minimum of 1,000 clock hours and the experience may be full-time or part-time, paid or unpaid.
2. High school diploma requirement by one of the following methods: Possess a high school diploma; possess a diploma based on passage of the GED Test; or possess the foreign equivalent of a high school diploma. As a program, we will verify you’ve met this requirement when you upload your diploma, GED, or bachelor’s degree as part of the application process.
3. Verification, signed by the Commission-approved program sponsor, that the applicant has been apprised of the requirements for both the preliminary and clear credentials, including the requirements of the program of personalized preparation.
4. Completed application (Form 41-4). The program coordinator will send a simpler, modified version of this form.
5. Completed Live Scan receipt (41-LSOpen PDF in current window), verifying fingerprints have been taken and fees have been paid unless fingerprint clearance is already on file with the Commission.*
6. Application processing fee.
7. Recommendation by a Commission-approved CTE program sponsor. You will receive this from the program when the Credential Analyst recommends you for your preliminary credential.

* You must create your educator profile on the CTC’s website first. Then you must complete fingerprinting/LiveScan. You must then pay for your Certificate of Clearance. It is important that you complete fingerprinting and the Certificate of Clearance within the same week.

Individuals must satisfy ALL of the following requirements:

1. Possess a valid California Preliminary CTE Teaching Credential (three-year or five-year).
2. Commission-approved program of personalized preparation that includes training in Specially Designed Academic Instruction Delivered in English (SDAIE).
3. Verify completion of one of the following: Two years of successful teaching on the basis of the Preliminary CTE Teaching Credential in the industry sector(s) listed on the credential OR a Commission-approved program of advanced personalized preparation as determined by the program sponsor agency.
4. U.S. Constitution requirement by one of the following methods: Complete a course (at least two semester units or three quarter units) in the provisions and principles of the U.S. Constitution. Submit a copy of the course description for evaluation purposes OR pass an examination in the provisions and principles of the U.S. Constitution, given by a regionally-accredited college or university. NOTE: we will verify you’ve met this requirement when you upload your bachelor’s degree with your application. If not met, we will communicate options to you for completing this requirement.
5. Health education, including, but not limited to, the study of nutrition; the physiological and sociological effects of abuse of alcohol, narcotics, and drugs, and the use of tobacco. This requirement must also include training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that covers infant, child, and adult CPR skills. (The program coordinator will send you a list of health education courses available nearby. You will need to seek an adult & infant CPR course on your own. Please submit proof of completion of both items to the program coordinator.)
6. Complete study in computer-based technology, including the uses of technology in educational settings. This is embedded in our CTE program.
7. Completed application (Form 41-4). The program coordinator will send a simpler, modified version of this form.
8. Application processing fee.
9. Recommendation by a Commission-approved CTE program sponsor.

Fingerprint clearance through the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is required from every applicant prior to the Commission’s issuance of any credential, permit, certificate, or waiver.

The Certificate of Clearance (C.O.C.) is a document issued by the Commission to an individual who has completed the Commission’s fingerprint character and identification process, and whose moral and professional fitness has been shown to meet the standards as established by law. The C.O.C. is not the same as a clear teaching or services credential. The C.O.C. does not authorize the holder to provide any instruction or services in schools; its sole purpose is to provide verification that the holder has completed a professional fitness review.

Search for a LiveScan location near you.

Please note: You do not need to apply for a Certificate of Clearance if you have previously completed the fingerprint process and have been issued a currently valid document by the Commission (i.e. a teaching credential).

You must first create an educator profile on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s website via the following steps:

Click, “Apply for a New Document”
Click, “Submit an Online Application”
Click, “Apply for Fingerprint Clearance (COC and ASCC)”

Once you submit payment and your fingerprints clear, you will be sent an email stating you’ve been issued your Certificate of Clearance. You may log into your CTC educator profile to view all current documents.