Minors 16 and 17 of age are not required to obtain an employment certificate and are permitted to hold many other types of jobs. All 14 and 15 year old workers in Virginia are required to obtain an Employment Certificate (Work Permit) prior to performing any work.Generally, no child under 14 years of age may be employed in any gainful occupation. No child under 16 years of age may be employed during school hours. Most companies require to be 16 years old of age, and the Permission to Employ form requires an Employer's address. Work certificates are not required for 16 and 17yearolds. Virginia law prohibits the employment of persons under 16 years of age in a. 16 - Basic minimum age for employment. Virginians ages 1617 may work up to four hours on a school day, eight hours on a nonschool day and 28 hours during school weeks. In Virginia, child labor laws generally prohibit anyone under 14 years old from working and require work permits for children under 16.