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Plumber apprenticeships in Michigan

A plumber apprenticeship is a paid job with training, and you don't need experience to start one. Michigan has 37 registered plumber apprenticeship programs, with 3,298 apprentices in training at the latest federal count.

Looking for electrical work? See the 281 electrician programs

Median pay when you start

$19.25 an hour

About $770 a week at 40 hours. The middle half of starting wages is $17.75 to $22.75 an hour.

Median pay at the end

$38.06 an hour

About $1,520 a week at 40 hours.

From 565 recent starting wages in 27 programs, and 335 people who finished recently in 23 programs. The 2 figures come from different groups of apprentices, not the same people followed from start to finish.

How to get in

  1. Get your apprentice plumber registration

    Register with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) within 30 days of starting work as an apprentice, and renew every year. Hours you work while your registration is lapsed or expired don't count toward the hours you need for the journey plumber exam.

    Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, plumbing licensing and registration

  2. Pick 2 or 3 programs near you

    Use the list below. Search each program's name with its city to find it.

    See the programs

  3. Ask each one how to apply

    Each program takes applications in its own way. Ask each program how and when it takes applications.

    Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 takes applications all year on its online form. The application is free and has no deadline. Get your ACT WorkKeys scores before you apply.

    Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 apprenticeship page

Find a program near you

All 37 registered programs, grouped by who runs them, with the most apprentices first.

37 programs

Sort by

Union programs (JAC and JATC)

5 programs · 790 apprentices

A Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC or JATC) is the union and participating contractors working together.

Contractor associations

1 program · 1 apprentices

Each of these programs carries the name of a contractor association: Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC).

Companies, schools and other programs

31 programs · 2,507 apprentices

Many smaller programs are companies that train their own employees.

Companies, schools and other programs
ProgramCityApprentices
Ford Motor Co. (search the web)Also trains other tradesLincoln ParkDetroit area1,100 apprentices
Chrysler-UAW Technology Training Center (search the web)Also trains other tradesAuburn HillsDetroit area390 apprentices
West Michigan Plumbers, Fitters & Service Trades (search the web)CoopersvilleWest Michigan210 apprentices
Metro Detroit Plumbing Industry (search the web)TroyDetroit area193 apprentices
(MWA) Networks Northwest (search the web)Also trains other tradesTraverse CityNorthern Michigan & the UP189 apprentices
Jackson Area Manufacturers Association (JAMA) (search the web)Also trains other tradesJacksonLansing & Mid-Michigan126 apprentices
Three Rivers Corporation (search the web)MidlandLansing & Mid-Michigan70 apprentices
DHE Plumbing & Mechanical (search the web)GrandvilleWest Michigan45 apprentices
River City Mechanical Inc. (search the web)Comstock ParkWest Michigan28 apprentices
A-1 Refrigeration Sales and Service, Inc. (search the web)KalamazooWest Michigan22 apprentices
Contrast Mechanical, Inc. (search the web)MacombDetroit area19 apprentices
General Motors Powertrain, Bay City, Michigan Plant (search the web)Also trains other tradesBay CityLansing & Mid-Michigan17 apprentices
University of Michigan (search the web)Also trains other tradesAnn ArborDetroit area16 apprentices
Macatawa Plumbing, Inc. (search the web)ZeelandWest Michigan13 apprentices
CSM Mechanical (search the web)MilfordDetroit area12 apprentices
Heinz North America (search the web)Also trains other tradesHollandWest Michigan10 apprentices
Interplay Learning (search the web)Also trains other tradesMorriceLansing & Mid-Michigan10 apprentices
Jermor Plumbing & Heating (search the web)DetroitDetroit area10 apprentices
GM GPS - Saginaw Metal Casting OP (search the web)Also trains other tradesSaginawLansing & Mid-Michigan9 apprentices
Axalta Coating Systems (search the web)Also trains other tradesMount ClemensDetroit area6 apprentices
Fenner Plumbing, Inc. (search the web)Berrien SpringsWest Michigan3 apprentices
SAMS Heating and Air Conditioning (search the web)EdwardsburgWest Michigan2 apprentices
Smith Pumps & Plumbing (search the web)OwossoLansing & Mid-Michigan2 apprentices
Field Plumbing & Heating, Inc. (search the web)LawrenceEverywhere else1 apprentices
LaPlace Plumbing (search the web)EdwardsburgWest Michigan1 apprentices
Rich's Plumbing (search the web)White PigeonEverywhere else1 apprentices
Steve's Plumbing and Excavating LLC (search the web)Also trains other tradesBurtonLansing & Mid-Michigan1 apprentices
Streb & Son Plumbing Services (search the web)EdwardsburgWest Michigan1 apprentices
Air Doctors Heating & Cooling LLC (search the web)Also trains other tradesSouthfieldEverywhere else0 apprentices
J. E. Johnson, Inc. (search the web)MidlandLansing & Mid-Michigan0 apprentices
Pleune Service (search the web)Also trains other tradesGrand RapidsWest Michigan0 apprentices

Also trains other trades: these 13 sponsors train more than one trade, so their count includes apprentices in their other trades. A count of 0 means the federal data recorded no apprentices in training, and it doesn't always mean the program has closed.

How one program works: Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333

Each program runs in its own way. This is how one of them takes apprentices and trains them, as its own pages describe it.

Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333

  1. 1

    Take the ACT WorkKeys assessment

    Take the assessment at a testing site near you. The 3 sections are Workplace Documents, Applied Mathematics and Graphic Literacy.

  2. 2

    Apply online

    Fill in the online application and upload your documents.

  3. 3

    Start your probationary year

    Your first year is probationary, and you work under a journeyman for about 1,700 to 2,000 hours. You buy the text materials the program requires, and you get yourself to job sites and to class.

  4. 4

    Register as an apprentice

    Register with LARA within 30 days of starting work. The apprentice plumber registration costs $15.

Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 apprenticeship application Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, plumbing licensing and registration

More from the programs

Of the journeyman scale to start at Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333

45%

Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 is the largest program open to outside applicants. You start at 45% of the journeyman scale and get a raise every 6 months if you meet program requirements. Local 333 describes the apprenticeship as "similar to a full-ride, tuition-free scholarship".

To apply to Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333, you must be 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED. You upload these documents with your application.

  • your birth certificate
  • your diploma or GED, with your official transcript
  • your ACT WorkKeys scores
  • both sides of your driver's license
  • your DD-214, if you served in the military

Before you apply, you take the ACT WorkKeys assessment. You need a score of at least 4 in each of the 3 sections and a combined score of at least 14.

The Local 333 apprenticeship takes 5 years. You attend school for an 8-hour day every 2 weeks at the training centers in Lansing and Jackson, and you're paid your hourly wage for the school day. Health and dental coverage for your spouse and children starts after 1 week of work.

You train in plumbing, pipefitting, and heating and cooling service work. Your hours on the job count toward the state plumbing license and other certifications.

Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 apprenticeship page

Your license in Michigan

To work as a plumber in Michigan, you need your own license from LARA, whoever you work for. You start with the $15 apprentice plumber registration, and you can get the journey plumber's license later with hours on the job and a 2-part exam.

See how plumber licensing works in Michigan

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Labor national apprenticeship data, extract of August 17, 2026: the programs, the apprentice counts, the 2 median wages and the range of starting wages
  2. Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 333 apprenticeship pages and online application, ua333.org and form.jotform.com: how to apply, the ACT WorkKeys requirement, the 45% starting rate and the school schedule
  3. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, plumbing licensing pages and apprentice registration form BCC-3328: the $15 registration, the 30-day rule and the rule on lapsed hours

The U.S. Department of Labor data has 11 Michigan filings whose registration numbers name a different state. No figure counts those filings. Every bar uses the same scale.

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