The majority of plumbers are trained in apprenticeship programs or in vocational schools – sometimes sponsored by contractors. If you are interested in this type of career you should inquire about the on the job training component of the school when researching vocational schools. Many students attend vocational schools to better prepare themselves for an apprenticeship program and to increase their chances to get hired in this profession.
All journeyman plumbers must have on the job training as part of their licensure. In the next 7 years, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts that the plumbing field will grow by 16 percent up to 2018. This is in line with the expected growth in related professions like being an Electrician.
An apprenticeship program is an “earn while you learn” type program. In the plumbing field many apprenticeship programs are sponsored by unions. The applicant to the program is interviewed by the union and then must pass a drug screening test and an aptitude test. In addition, the applicant must be 18 years of age and a high school graduate.
The program then requires the applicant to complete 2,000 hours of on the job training per year. While you work you are getting paid. Most apprentices start work around $13 per hour. Formal class room instruction is taken at night. Apprentices must complete 144 hours of night time instruction. Apprentice training for plumbers lasts about five years.
Apprentices are closely supervised by journeyman or certified plumbers while they complete their on the job training.
Once the apprenticeship is completed, then the apprentice becomes a journeyman plumber and must successfully pass the journeyman test and obtain certification by the appropriate state.
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“I took up plumbing after I decided not to go to college. I had the grades to go but I did not have the money. The apprenticeship paid for my schooling. All I had to pay were for books. And I have no student loans after I complete my apprenticeship,” said Ryan Brewster a journeyman plumber from Nev.
The common misconception about plumbers is that they clean sewer drains and toilets all day. The truth of the matter is the plumbing field has five subcategories. In the plumbing field there are pipe layers, pipefitters, steamfitters, sprinkler fitters and then plumbers. The pipe layers work mainly outdoors installing large pipe systems that carry liquids and gas. Pipefitters and steamfitters work mainly indoors with high pressure and low pressure pipe systems. Sprinkler fitters work primarily with installing fire suppression systems. Finally the plumbers work in commercial or residential settings maintaining or installing sewage systems, water and gas systems.
“I looked at the average pay of plumbers and said to myself, wow these contractors are some of the highest paid technicians of all the trades. I did not base my entire decision on pay but it did not hurt my decision,” said Brewster. Plumbers on average, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics, will earn from $13 to $30 per hour.
The plumbing trade offers lucrative paying jobs in new construction and also has jobs in maintenance for commercial properties and residential.
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