MAVA members work every day to support new and veteran vocational teachers, and we want to extend our support and resources to hard working professionals who might see teaching in their future. We’ve collected some answers to frequently asked questions and provided you with some links and contact people if you have further questions.

There are two types of vocational teacher licensure: preliminary and professional. If you are just starting out, you need to pursue a preliminary license. Preliminary license requirements vary depending on the vocational areas. You can determine your eligibility by answering some important preliminary licensure questions.

A preliminary license is valid for five years. In order to obtain your professional license, you must meet three general requirements:
 

  1. Complete a one-year induction program. An induction program is “A planned program of professional support with a trained mentor for beginning educators during their first year of employment with a new license provided by the school district and approved by the Department.”
    Source: http://www.doe.mass.edu/cte/603cmr4.doc
  2. Work for three years under the preliminary license.
  3. Complete a series of college-level courses.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education recognizes the complexities of the licensure process and offers phone, email and print resources to assist you:

  1. The DESE has recently posted a document entitled “Chapter 74 Guide for Preliminary Vocational Technical Teacher Licensure” which provides easy to follow one-page summaries of licensure requirements for each specific approval area.
  2. The DESE has an email address for questions at VocEducator@doe.mass.edu, or you can search the DESE’s Frequently Asked Questions section on teacher licensure at https://www4.doemass.org/elar/licensurehelp/IntroductionPageControl.ser
  3. Jamie Wilkinson, Department of Education, at jwilkinson@doe.mass.edu (or via phone at 781.338.6614) works tirelessly to help individuals with vocational teacher licensure.