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Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship

An apprentice is a worker who learns a skilled trade through supervised on-the-job training and related classroom instruction.

Apprenticeship in the Northwest Ohio Piping Industry is the entry-level to an exciting and rewarding career. Our apprentices are a regular part of the workforce and earn increasing wages while acquiring the important skills necessary to thrive in the industry.

A Piping Industry apprentice makes a commitment to a 5-year program in which they are employed by a signatory contractor during the day and attend school in the evenings, usually two nights a week.

While training for a career, our apprentices also earn college credit towards a 2-year degree program offered by Owens Community College.

Take the first step in starting an exciting career with the Piping Industry by visiting our Apprentice Recruitment page.

Apprenticeship Training

The highly skilled men and women that make up the Piping Industry in Northwest Ohio are guaranteed professionals. They are ready to handle every plumbing, pipefitting, welding, and HVAC project, large and small.

This expertise is built on a strong foundation of training – a program that is thoroughly unique in the plumbing and pipefitting industries. Rigorous classroom and on-the-job training in a state-of-the-art training center produce an unmatched workforce skilled in the mechanical service and construction business.

The five-year apprenticeship program – including a one-year probationary period – consists of 8,500 hours of on-the-job training under the direction of a professional journeyman and related classroom instruction. Apprentices are employed by a signatory contractor during the day and attend school in the evenings, usually two nights a week.

The comprehensive curriculum for the training paths offered by the Piping Industry includes everything from math and science courses – to basic shop and welding – to safety and customer relations training.

Our training program is 100% industry-funded, so apprentices only have to pay a nominal fee to receive the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in an exciting and rewarding career. In fact, Piping Industry apprentices “earn while they learn,” receiving escalating wages as they advance throughout the training program, as well as college credit towards a degree program at Owens Community College.

Apprenticeship Qualifications

The Northwest Ohio Piping Industry invests significant time and resources into each and every one of our apprentices throughout a five-year training period and subsequent career.

Because of this, we strive to ensure every individual that enters our apprenticeship program displays the qualities necessary to truly thrive in this industry. Through cooperation with education and guidance departments in the region, we are looking for qualified applicants who follow the “straight A’s:”

Academics – A high school diploma or GED certificate is required to apply for apprenticeship training. But, more importantly, applicants should display a desire to truly learn all the complex pieces and parts which make up the plumbing, pipefitting, and/or HVAC industries.

Aptitude – An innate capacity to understand concepts in both math (algebra, geometry, trigonometry) and science (chemistry, physics), as well as working well with one’s hands, are characteristics that will greatly benefit apprentices throughout their training and working career. In an industry requiring a lot of drafting, blueprint reading and mechanical drawing, and welding, being precise in practice and application is of the utmost importance.

Attendance – Regular attendance for both classroom training and on-the-job experience is mandatory in the Piping Industry. Every day brings a new opportunity to learn not only industry practices but also safety precautions that will help protect apprentices throughout the training period and their careers. We want candidates to recognize all the opportunities our industry provides in the form of rewarding careers with job security. They need to show up every day to reap these benefits in both the short and long term.

Attitude – The apprenticeship program of the Piping Industry includes complex topics and practices that take time and energy to learn and do correctly. We are looking for candidates who recognize this fact by their everyday demeanor as they interact with fellow apprentices, instructors, and journeyman mentors. Candidates will not succeed in either the training program or a career in the Piping Industry if they display a constant negative attitude with no desire to adapt to changing situations.

 

Additional qualifications:

  1. Must be at least 18 years of age.
  2. Must complete and return the apprenticeship application within 10 business days with the following documentation:
    • State Birth Certificate for proof of age
    • High School grade transcript or GED certificate and official report of test results
    • Social Security Card
    • Drivers License or Picture I.D.
    • Military transfer or discharge Form DD-214, if applicable
  3. Must appear for Mechanical Aptitude Test when notified. Notification is sent by Certified Mail.
  4. Must appear for an interview when notified. Notification is sent by Certified Mail.