While some of us contractors may have policies and practices in place to encourage the technician to maintain their NATE certification, the responsibility ultimately falls on the technician. The NATE wallet card shows the technician’s specialty(s) and the expiration date(s), which can serve as a simple reminder to the technicians of when they need to recertify. What I always tell my technicians is that the easiest way to stay on top of certification is to avoid waiting until the last minute, and to absolutely avoid a lapse in certification.
Recertification before the five-year expiration date requires the technicians to simply retake their specialty exam, or provide evidence of participation in 60 hours of continuing education courses. These continuing education courses can be submitted to NATE in two formats: 1) NATE-recognized courses; and 2) courses that are not officially recognized by NATE.