Exam certificates

I did an apprenticeship a few years ago, and those who couldn't provide GCSE certs had to do maths and English tests under exam conditions. It wasn't GCSE, though I assume they got some sort of certificate.

I also asked the question about degrees - you can't usually do a degree in the UK without having English and Maths, so a degree implies you had them, or equivalents (Access course, foreign qualifications, etc,) before starting. The administrator agreed it was a bit daft, but nonetheless, you had to show your GCSE certificates or do the tests.

I moved house 7 times between the age of 18 and 26.
I don't know where mine are, and I've never been asked for them.
I'm not sure what I would do if they were needed.
I passed my GCSEs in 2008, but the certificates are lost all the same.

I'm worried about the time coming when I have to buy some, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Good luck!

I don't think they are clutter. Clearly a lot of employers don't either.

I must have been told to keep mine safe back in 1975, and I still have mine even though no-one has asked to see them.

I was on a call about an apprenticeship programme a few weeks ago and they mentioned GCSE certificates. I think I didn't get any, I had the bits of paper saying what I got but don't remember actual certificates, and I must have thrown those out years ago. I didn't need to show them to get into university and my exam boards are no more.

What surprised me was my English degree certificate wouldn't do it had to be a GCSE one. Surely a degree in English trumps a GCSE in English?!

It's so bizarre.

Weirdly, I do have my O level certificates from 1983, but I don’t have my A level certificates from 1985. The one time I was asked to take in my certificates was for the first day at a job at a university. I just brought in the O level certificates and didn’t mention the A level ones. Somebody took the certificates off me on the first day and went off and photocopied them and then brought them back to me, never even mentioning the missing A level certificates. It never came up again.

Yep. Had to have proof of every qualification that I had listed on my CV for job which is in a 250 fts company.

DH has all of his. I have my degree certificate and nothing before that. Chucked the rest ages ago. I don't work in teaching where I'd need to drive I have English and Maths GCSEs so the degree certificate supersedes the rest of them and they're just clutter.

@letsgoooo there are international processes in place.

So if a person can't access information i. a war other countries step in and facilitate access. There are some challenges with some smaller African countries but the majority of countries have held very comprehensive education data systems.

These processes and policies have meant Ukrainian people can carry on their studies in other countries and engage in work where specific qualifications are required.

@Marblessolveeverything
I am as I said drifting off into wild hypotheticals! But I doubt there are processes in Gaza that would be very helpful atm.
Countries that have been decimated I suspect would face difficulties.
But you are right in that most countries would be fine.

There are well established processes in education authorities world wide to address these issues.

I remember my teachers drumming it into us how important it was not to lose our certificates as people could ask to see them at any time during our careers! I left school 24 years ago and got asked in my previous job, even though the job required me to have a degree FFS!!

My mind is now wandering off to peculiar scenarios.

What if you didn't sit GCSEs or a-levels. What if you were from another country which is now in war and you can't get them. But you have 20 years work experience.

But your work experience is clear and verified and specialist enough that they need you.

They are hardly going to turn you away.

You'd think, but despite being educated to post-grad level I had to show a GCSE certificate to show I had English (and Maths).

My background is sales, marketing, publications and website content. I have worked in the same field since 1981. Apart from my first employer in this field every different employer has headhunted me.

It is quite an incestuous industry where there is a lot of networking so people get to know each other at trade shows, awards events etc.

I have never been asked to show my certificates.

This statement means very little without you stating what the jobs are.

E.g. Clearly you're not a Veterinarian as you'd need to prove qualifications for that.

I needed to prove my listed qualifications for my current job.

But when I worked in Sainsbury's they didn't ask for my degree certificate.

And say in an Early Years support role, it's not even a case of needing to see the qualifications for working reasons. It's for safeguarding to prove that person isn't lying. If they're lying about GCSE grades what else might they be lying about?

If you're claiming something on your CV then you need to be prepared to prove it.

@JudgeJ

Of course they need evidence of what you're claiming, especially if you've nothing above 'A' level!
Why?
Seriously, why? After 30 years of working, it's blatantly obvious if you have the skills required

How do exam in random subjects unrelated to your field of work help anyone in any way.

If you'd been a copywriter or a plasterer or a biochemist and you'd been doing this like if work for many years, there is NOTHING your GCSEs and A-levels will tell an employer.

Out of interest, what sort of jobs?

Presumably in the many decades since you sat GCSE English, your work life has provided you with WAY more literacy skills than GCSE English though. I can't imagine any degree educated person who has then worked for many years having literacy skills below GCSE 😂

I have my certificates, they are in a folder about 2m from where I am sitting now. My son's are there too and I also have photos of them all.

I've only ever had to show them for one job though, but that was when I was 40. If you are younger, it's well worth making sure you know where they are and keeping photos of them so you know what exam board etc they were.

I treat mine with the same care I treat a passport or driving licence. They're important documents that need to be kept, and kept safe.

I have all mine too but the problem a cousin had, lost paperwork, schools shut, living in the U.S. was tricky to untangle!

I have all of my certificates anyway. I must have recognised pretty early on that I might need them one day (but haven't so far). I might have done for my first job, but that was 47 years ago.

I've had to show mine (teacher). I did O'Levels so fairly old.

@NamechangersRuleHere if you were a teacher you would still have to show the GCSE maths and English, you would also have to have passed the literacy and maths tests.

I did my GCSEs in 1996. I have never had to show them.
I probably have shown my degree certificate at some point though.