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# Mandatory and optional certificates

# Mandatory and optional certificates

Within a skill you can set which certificates a participant needs. For each certificate you indicate whether it is **mandatory** or **optional**. In Skills management you then see at a glance whether participants have obtained all mandatory certificates.

## When do you use this?

Use this setting when a skill is only "complete" once a participant has obtained certain certificates. Mandatory certificates count toward the compliance status; optional certificates do belong to the skill, but are not required in order to meet it.

**Step 1 — Set the certificate to mandatory or optional**

Open the relevant skill, and in the settings of this skill you can choose, for the linked certificate, whether the certificate is mandatory or optional.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/e/f/b/2/efb20d00b64eb000/schermafbeelding-2026-06-08-om_5igt5z.png)

* **Toggle on → Mandatory:** this certificate is required to meet the skill and counts toward the compliance status.
* **Toggle off → optional:** the certificate belongs to the skill, but is not required.

You can make a separate choice for each certificate. Via the three-dots menu (⋮) on the right you can remove a certificate from the skill again.

## Viewing the details per participant

Click on a participant in the matrix to open the detail screen. At the top you see the name and the **Profile** and **Email** buttons.

![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/e/f/b/2/efb20d00b64eb000/schermafbeelding-2026-06-08-om_12mubew.png)

For each skill, the following is shown here:

* **Certified (Yes/No)** — whether the participant currently fully meets the skill. This is set to **No** as long as a mandatory certificate is still missing.
* A short description of the skill.
* A list of **Required certificates** showing all linked certificates and their status:
* ✅ **Green checkmark** — obtained.
* ❌ **Red cross** with the message **Mandatory, action required** — this mandatory certificate is still missing and must be obtained.

In the example, the participant has obtained *General workplace safety*, but *VCA - basic* and *Safe working: Basic safety rules* are still missing. Because these are mandatory certificates, **Certified** is set to **No** until they have all been obtained.