One of the core benefits of apprenticeship is paid training. Apprentices earn a percentage of the journeyman wage and receive scheduled wage increases based on successful completion of related instruction training and documented on-the-job training .In addition to jobsite learning, apprentices attend related instruction training at 219 plus hours per year. A five-year plumbing apprenticeship provides a structured pathway for individuals to become fully trained, licensed journeyman plumbers through a combination of classroom education and on-the-job training. Apprentices learn the technical skills, safety practices, industry standards, and real-world experience required to install, maintain, and repair plumbing and mechanical systems in residential, commercial, and industrial environments. Apprentices work directly under experienced journeymen and foremen on active job sites. Upon completion, graduates are highly skilled, code-knowledgeable, safety-oriented professionals who can independently install, maintain, and service plumbing systems. They are qualified to work as journeyman or master plumbers.
Over the course of the program, they gain experience in:
- Water supply and distribution systems
- Waste and vent piping
- Fixture installation
- Refrigeration
- Gas piping systems
- Backflow prevention
- Medical gas
- Blueprint interpretation
- Code-compliant installations
- Troubleshooting and repair
