🌍 Global Crosswalk
Global Trade Crosswalk: One Trade, Four Systems
One trade. Four systems. This crosswalk shows what your trade is called, how it's trained, and how far it goes in the US, UK, Germany, and Canada — plus how to move your credentials between them.
Pay figures are rounded national medians from official sources and vary widely by region and experience. Full breakdown, sources, and living costs: Where the Trades Pay →
Recognition is regulated and country-specific. The guides below name the exact official body for each move — always confirm your case with them before making plans.
Germany splits trades into licensed (zulassungspflichtig — e.g., Elektroniker, Anlagenmechaniker SHK, Zimmerer: full recognition required before independent work) and non-licensed (zulassungsfrei: employable on experience, but recognition speeds visas and secures full wages). Categories change — your Handwerkskammer confirms which list your trade is on today.
Submit to IHK FOSA (industrial/commercial trades) or the regional Handwerkskammer for craft trades — matched to a German reference occupation (Referenzberuf). Required: NVQ/City & Guilds certificates, curriculum breakdowns, full employment history — every document translated by a sworn translator (vereidigter Übersetzer). Expect 3–4 months.
Full equivalence (rights of a German Geselle), partial equivalence (the notice lists exactly what is missing), or compensation measures (Anpassungsqualifizierung): targeted training or an adaptation test to close the listed gaps in a licensed trade.
With recognition and a binding job offer in your trade, apply for the Skilled Worker visa (§18a AufenthG). Can't wait out the paperwork? The Anerkennungspartnerschaft lets you start working in Germany immediately while you and your employer complete recognition on the job.
anerkennung-in-deutschland.de → ihk-fosa.de → make-it-in-germany.com →
UK ENIC issues statements of comparability for foreign qualifications; regulated activities (gas, electrical certification schemes) have their own scheme entry assessments. A Skilled Worker visa requires a licensed sponsor employer.
Experienced tradespeople use the Trade Qualifier route: your provincial apprenticeship authority assesses documented hours, and qualified candidates challenge the certification exam directly — then write the Red Seal for national mobility.
There is no national trade recognition — licensing is by STATE (and sometimes city). Contact the licensing board of the state where you plan to work; many credit documented foreign experience toward exam eligibility. Work authorization is a separate immigration matter.
This crosswalk is guidance, not a legal equivalence ruling. Only the named authorities can recognize a credential.