TRADESSkilled Trades Field Manual
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INDEXTradesROADMAPLicense roadmapEMPLOYERSFor employers

OCCUPATIONS

01Construction Manager02Architectural Designer / Architect03Electrical Work, Electrical Safety & Fire Equipment Inspection04Plant Maintenance Technician05Automotive Mechanic

LICENSE ROADMAP

Which licenses,
in what order.

In the skilled trades, you usually build licenses up from the bottom. We’ve mapped how to get licensed in five trades on one sheet, like a rail map. Yellow stations are “first stations” you can board without a license, and ◎ marks “transfer stations” that work across trades.

MAP 5 LINES

License route map

01Construction mgmt.Details →
  1. Construction management assistantNo license
  2. 2nd-class Assistant Engineer（2級技士補）First exam, age 17+
  3. 2nd-class Construction Management Engineer（2級施工管理技士）3 yrs’ experience after first exam, etc.
  4. 1st-class Assistant Engineer（1級技士補）First exam, age 19+
  5. 1st-class Construction Management Engineer（1級施工管理技士）Can be a supervising engineer
02Architectural designDetails →
  1. CAD / design assistantNo license
  2. Graduate with designated coursesUniversity, vocational school, etc.
  3. 2nd-class Architect（二級建築士）Overall 22.6% (2025)
  4. Pass 1st-class Architect（一級建築士）Overall 11.4% (2025)
  5. License registrationExperience by registration
03Electrical / fire equipmentDetails →
  1. Assistant workNo license
  2. ◎ Class 2 Electrician（第二種電気工事士）No eligibility limits
  3. Fire Protection Equipment Technician（消防設備士）Class B → AInspection & servicing → installation
  4. Class 1 Electrician（第一種電気工事士）Pass + 3 yrs’ experience for license
  5. 3rd-class Chief Electrical Engineer（電験三種）4 subjects, pass rate 13.0%
04Plant maintenanceDetails →
  1. Maintenance assistantNo license required
  2. Machine Maintenance（機械保全）Grade 3National Trade Skills Test（技能検定）
  3. Machine Maintenance Grade 2 → 1Move up with experience
  4. ◎ Class 2 Electrician（第二種電気工事士）If you fix wiring yourself
  5. 3rd-class Chief Electrical Engineer（電験三種）Appointed for power receiving equipment
05Automotive repairDetails →
  1. Mechanic’s assistantCar washing, tire changes, etc.
  2. 3rd-class Mechanic（三級整備士）Experience or training institution
  3. 2nd-class Mechanic（二級整備士）3rd class + experience / 2 yrs at school
  4. 1st-class Small Vehicle Mechanic（一級小型整備士）Top license

TRANSFER

  • Class 2 Electrician（第二種電気工事士） is the entry point to electrical work, and in plant maintenance it is the license you need to modify wiring and similar work yourself.
  • 3rd-class Chief Electrical Engineer（電験三種） is the core license for electrical safety work, and it is also an asset in plant maintenance at factories and buildings with power receiving equipment.
  • The Construction Management Engineer exams（施工管理技術検定） cover 7 fields: civil engineering, building, electrical works, plumbing & HVAC works, telecommunications works, landscaping and construction machinery. With electrical work experience, you can also aim for Electrical Works Construction Management Engineer（電気工事施工管理技士）.

DATA EXAMS

Eligibility and pass rates

Pass rates are based on the numbers of examinees and passers published by the exam bodies and others. The mix of examinees differs by round and year, so you can’t simply compare how hard different licenses are.

License / examEligibilityPass ratePeriodPublished by
1st-class Construction Management Engineer（1級施工管理技士）, first examAge 19+ (from FY2024, regardless of education or experience)45.0%FY2025, all fieldsMLIT
2nd-class Construction Management Engineer（2級施工管理技士）, first examAge 17+49.6%FY2025, all fieldsMLIT
1st-class Architect（一級建築士）, overallGraduation with designated courses, 2nd-class Architect, etc.11.4%2025MLIT
2nd-class Architect（二級建築士）, overallGraduation with designated courses, etc.22.6%2025Japan Architectural Education and Information Center
Class 2 Electrician（第二種電気工事士）, written / practicalNo restrictions56.6% / 71.8%FY2025Electrical Engineer Examination Center
Class 1 Electrician（第一種電気工事士）, written / practical3+ years of practical experience to be issued the license57.4% / 58.1%FY2025Electrical Engineer Examination Center
3rd-class Chief Electrical Engineer（第三種電気主任技術者）4 subjects, subject-by-subject passing (within 3 years)13.0%FY2025Electrical Engineer Examination Center
Fire Protection Equipment Technician（消防設備士）, Class A / Class BEach category covers different equipment (check requirements with the exam body)37.3% / 41.8%Apr–Jul 2026Fire Defense Examination and Research Center
2nd-class Gasoline Automotive Mechanic（二級ガソリン自動車整備士）, written3rd class + experience, etc.61.9%FY2025 1st roundJASPA

RULE LICENSED WORK

Work you can’t do
without a license.

  • LOCK
    Electrical workOnly an Electrician can do the work (Electricians Act, Art. 3). Minor work is excluded.
  • LOCK
    Installing and servicing fire protection equipmentCertain equipment can only be handled by a Fire Protection Equipment Technician (Fire Service Act, Art. 17-5).
  • LOCK
    Design and construction supervision of buildings above a certain sizeOnly a 1st-class, 2nd-class or Wooden-structure Architect can do it (Architect Act).
  • LOCK
    Chief engineer（主任技術者）and supervising engineer（監理技術者）Requires a license such as Construction Management Engineer, or the specified practical experience (Construction Business Act).

OPEN / WAYS IN WITHOUT A LICENSE

Paperwork and photo records in construction management, CAD assistance in design, carrying materials in electrical work, car washing and tire changes at a garage, maintenance assistance. In most skilled trades, you can start with work that needs no license and get licensed while you work.

For the cost of retraining, you may be able to use courses covered by Education and Training Benefits（教育訓練給付）or public vocational training (Hello Training（ハロートレーニング）). Eligibility varies by course and region, so check with Hello Work.

Even on a visit or trial day, a person without the license cannot do work that requires one. You’ll experience the site by observing, accompanying and assisting.

SOURCES

  1. 令和６年度より施工管理技術検定の受検資格が変わります — Eligibility for the Construction Management Engineer exams changes from FY2024 (MLIT, 2023)
  2. 技術検定 令和7年度受検者数・合格者数 — Technical qualification exams: FY2025 examinees and passers (MLIT, FY2025)
  3. 一級建築士試験 受験資格（2020年3月1日施行の建築士法改正後） — 1st-class Architect exam eligibility (after the Architect Act amendment in force Mar 1, 2020) (Japan Architectural Education and Information Center (JAEIC), in force 2020)
  4. 令和7年一級建築士試験「設計製図の試験」の合格者を決定（報道発表） — Passers of the 2025 1st-class Architect exam (design drafting) announced (press release) (MLIT, Dec 2025)
  5. 二級建築士試験 試験結果 — 2nd-class Architect exam results (Japan Architectural Education and Information Center (JAEIC), 2025)
  6. 第一種・第二種電気工事士試験の試験結果と推移 — Class 1 and Class 2 Electrician exam results and trends (Electrical Engineer Examination Center, FY2025)
  7. 第三種電気主任技術者試験の試験結果と推移 — 3rd-class Chief Electrical Engineer exam results and trends (Electrical Engineer Examination Center, FY2025)
  8. 消防設備士 試験実施状況（令和8年4月〜7月） — Fire Protection Equipment Technician exam statistics (Apr–Jul 2026) (Fire Defense Examination and Research Center, 2026)
  9. 電気工事士法 第3条（e-Gov法令検索） — Electricians Act Art. 3 (e-Gov law search) (Digital Agency (e-Gov), current version)
  10. 令和7年度「技能検定」の実施状況 — FY2025 National Trade Skills Test (Gino Kentei) statistics (MHLW, Aug 2026)
  11. 自動車整備士になるには — How to become an automotive mechanic (Japan Automobile Service Promotion Association (JASPA), accessed Sept 2026)
  12. 令和7年度第1回 自動車整備技能登録試験 試験結果 — FY2025 1st automotive mechanic registration exam results (Japan Automobile Service Promotion Association (JASPA), 2025)

FIRST STATION

Your first station is on site.

A visit lets you check whether a workplace will help you get licensed. With Cura, you can apply for visits and trial days without a résumé or interview.

The Cura app is in Japanese.（クーラのアプリ／サイトは日本語です）

Visit a workplace near you→
Visit a workplace near you→