This way you can raise your annual salary by almost NOK 30,000

A professional certificate is proof that you have the necessary competence and skills required in the profession. If you have a few years of work experience, this is usually competence and skills you already have - the professional certificate is just about having this documented.

A vocational certificate gives you a higher salary, and also more in pension. A bus driver in a full-time position will, for example, be able to increase his annual salary by 27,000 kroner. The salary adjustment assumes that the company has a collective agreement with YTF.

The professional certificate increases your professional status. It makes it easier to get a job, and also gives you increased job security.

The professional certificate consists of a practical test and a theoretical test. It is common – and YTF recommends – that you prepare for these with a course. To make the path to the professional certificate as easy as possible, YTF offers its own guides to help you through the process.

Through the certificate program "I rute" you can get help from experienced colleagues who guide you through both theory and practice. Since November 2022, over 1,100 members have taken advantage of this offer.

Many employers provide financial support for the costs you incur in connection with the vocational certificate. In addition, you can get up to NOK 10,500 from YTF for costs beyond what the employer covers. In sum, this normally means that the vocational certificate should not be a cost to you.

If you work for a company with a collective agreement, you are entitled to paid leave to take the exams. You are also entitled to paid leave for one day of study.

In recent years, YTF has worked actively to get its members to obtain professional certificates.

– You should take a professional certificate to gain or formalize your own expertise, and not least to increase your own salary, says Secretary General Linda Jæger.

Photo: Kåre Sponberg

She believes that more drivers with trade certificates will lead to increased professional pride and may contribute to increased future recruitment to the profession.

– An increased proportion of trade certificates will also help to increase the average salary in the profession. Many people possess the knowledge needed to take the trade certificate. We hope our campaigns and our offer motivate them to take the final step and register for the trade exam, says Jæger.

Alena Lukosikova has been driving a bus for Unibuss in Oslo since 2015. In November last year, she completed the theoretical test to obtain a professional certificate, and on July 1, she completed and passed the practical test.

– I took a vocational certificate primarily to increase my salary. But I also wanted to get a little more education and develop myself. You feel a little safer and more secure in your role as a professional driver when you have completed the training, Lukosikova tells Yrkestrafikk.

She strongly recommends that drivers obtain a professional license, and she herself - after completing her practical test - helped a colleague with advice and tips before he completed his test.

– I gave him tips on what he should read and learn, but also what he should bring with him to the practical exam. For example, when you are going to put on a chain, you should have both a yellow vest and gloves. I only had a yellow vest with me, and then I got a small deduction from the examiner for not having gloves when we were going to put on a chain, but it went well, says Lukosikova.

This is how much the hourly wage increases with a trade certificate

Bus: 14 kroner more per hour

Truck: 13 kroner more per hour

Wholesaler: 9.5 kroner more per hour

Freight forwarder: NOK 9.5 more per hour