Certifications
Level 4 — entering the trade and holding a post
Level 4 attests that you carry out skilled work to instruction, with the rigour the post demands. It is the catalogue's entry rung: 20 qualifications, from 40 to 80 credits, from 400 to 800 supervised hours.
What level 4 commits to
Skilled employee and operative: the holder carries out work on the basis of a clear instruction, applies a known procedure, and reports on what was done. The level is defined by the RESPONSIBILITY exercised, not by years spent in training — which is what makes it readable on a job description.
- Carry out a task following a written procedure or work instruction
- Check your own work and flag anything outside the norm
- Keep the expected traceability: register, job sheet, report
- Work safely and see that instructions are applied around you
- Report to a supervisor in a short professional written form
The entry rung, in volumes
- level 4 qualifications
- 20
- competency blocks
- 100
- months of study
- 6 à 12
- supervised depending on the qualification
- 400 à 800 h
Duration follows the qualification's hour volume, never the other way round.
Six level 4 qualifications, as filed
| Professional qualification | Duration | Credits | Supervised hours | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health, Safety and Environment Officer | 9 months | 60 | 600 h | 5 |
| Accounting Assistant | 9 months | 60 | 600 h | 5 |
| Industrial Maintenance Technician | 1 year | 80 | 800 h | 5 |
| Secretary and Administrative Assistant | 9 months | 60 | 600 h | 5 |
| Web Development and Integration Technician | 9 months | 60 | 600 h | 5 |
| Industrial Storekeeper and Stock Manager | 6 months | 40 | 400 h | 5 |
What the qualification opens next
A post held
The qualification names a trade and the hours that prepared it. It is the document a shop-floor supervisor reads.
The step to level 5
Credits earned carry into the next path, without retaking what is already validated.
Recognition through experience
Practice already gained on the job is recognised block by block, on documented evidence.
Questions about level 4
What entry level does a level 4 qualification require?
Enough written French and arithmetic to follow a procedure and write a report. Admission checks this through an interview and a short exercise, which predicts success on the job better than a school certificate.
Can level 4 be prepared while working?
Yes. The 20 qualifications at this level run over 6 to 12 months, and the block split lets you advance one block at a time. Each validated block yields its attestation, so the effect on the job shows before the full qualification.
How does an employer place level 4?
By the responsibility described: skilled employee and operative. The verification page shows that wording next to the title, which spares the employer having to interpret a number.
Explore next
- Level 5 qualificationIHETC level 5 professional qualification (Senior technician and supervisor): 18 qualifications, 90 blocks, 9 to 12 months, and the verification reference an employer reads.
- Level 6 qualificationIHETC level 6 professional qualification (Manager and professional): 17 qualifications, 85 competency blocks, 750 to 800 supervised hours, public verification reference.
- Level 7 qualificationIHETC level 7 professional qualification (Expert and executive): 17 executive qualifications, 85 blocks, 700 supervised hours each, public verification of the document.
- Course attestationIHETC course attestation: 5 short formats, 240 supervised hours combined, 24 capitalisable credits and a reference verifiable online.
- Capitalisable unitsIHETC capitalisable units: 181 modules and 360 blocks recorded in the learner's name, kept indefinitely and taken up at every new admission.
- Transferable creditsIHETC credits: 1 credit = 25 h of work of which 10 h supervised. 7390 credits in the catalogue, transferable between programmes and professional qualifications.