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Plumber apprenticeships in Tennessee

A plumber apprenticeship is a paid job with training, and you don't need experience to start one. Tennessee has 28 registered plumber apprenticeship programs, with 1,644 apprentices in training at the latest federal count.

Looking for electrical work? See the 98 electrician programs

Median pay when you start

$18.56 an hour

About $740 a week at 40 hours. The middle half of starting wages is $16.00 to $21.41 an hour.

From 324 recent starting wages in 13 programs.

The median starting wage is $18.56 an hour. This figure comes from starting wages at different programs, so it isn't one program's wage scale.

How to get in

  1. 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

  2. Ask each one how to apply

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

    The Chattanooga plumbers' and steamfitters' committee takes applications once a year, in March, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at its training center. The ABC of Greater Tennessee academy opens applications each April for classes that start in September, and it closes them about 1 month before the first day of class. The Nashville and Memphis locals accept applications all year.

    Chattanooga plumbers' committee apprenticeship page

Find a program near you

All 28 registered programs, grouped by who runs them, with the most apprentices first. The program inside prisons is at the end.

27 programs

Sort by

Union programs (JAC and JATC)

4 programs · 479 apprentices

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

Contractor associations

4 programs · 341 apprentices

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

Companies, schools and other programs

19 programs · 824 apprentices

Companies, schools and other sponsors run these programs.

Companies, schools and other programs
ProgramCityApprentices
Nashville Plumbers and Pipefitters (search the web)NashvilleNashville & Middle Tennessee472 apprentices
Massey Construction, Inc. (search the web)Also trains other tradesAlcoaKnoxville & Oak Ridge167 apprentices
Comfort Systems USA, Shoffner, Inc. (search the web)Also trains other tradesKnoxvilleKnoxville & Oak Ridge100 apprentices
Mechanical Systems Company (search the web)MemphisMemphis & West Tennessee26 apprentices
Roscoe Brown Inc (search the web)NashvileNashville & Middle Tennessee19 apprentices
TCAT Knoxville (search the web)KnoxvilleKnoxville & Oak Ridge16 apprentices
Matlock Mechanical, LLC. (search the web)JacksonMemphis & West Tennessee9 apprentices
John Bouchard & Sons Co. (search the web)Also trains other tradesNashvilleNashville & Middle Tennessee5 apprentices
Stone Services (search the web)Also trains other tradesCookevilleEverywhere else5 apprentices
Ivey Mechanical Company (search the web)GallatinNashville & Middle Tennessee2 apprentices
Environmental Technical Services (search the web)MemphisMemphis & West Tennessee1 apprentices
G.I. Apprentice Inc (search the web)MemphisMemphis & West Tennessee1 apprentices
Lee Company (search the web)Also trains other tradesFranklinNashville & Middle Tennessee1 apprentices
Interplay Learning, Inc. (search the web)Also trains other tradesMemphisMemphis & West Tennessee0 apprentices
Memphis Area Minority Contractors Association (search the web)MemphisMemphis & West Tennessee0 apprentices
Nelson,LLC (search the web)MemphisMemphis & West Tennessee0 apprentices
Putnam Properties, LLC (search the web)CookevilleEverywhere else0 apprentices
RCM (search the web)NashvilleNashville & Middle Tennessee0 apprentices
S M Lawrence (search the web)Also trains other tradesJacksonMemphis & West Tennessee0 apprentices

Also trains other trades: these 10 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.

Programs inside prisons

The federal data marks 1 of the 28 programs as run inside a state prison. This program trains people who are incarcerated. You can't apply to this program from outside, and the wage figures don't include it.

  • Northwest CorrectionsTiptonville0 apprentices

How one program works: Chattanooga plumbers' committee

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

Chattanooga plumbers' committee

  1. 1

    Pick up your application in person

    Pick up and sign for your application yourself at the Chattanooga training center on Riverside Drive, and return the completed form there. The process takes about 1 hour.

  2. 2

    Take the ACT WorkKeys exam

    You need a score of 4 or higher in each of the 3 sections, which are Applied Math, Workplace Documents and Graphic Literacy. If the committee accepts you, you must take drug screenings.

  3. 3

    Work days and attend night classes

    The 5-year program has 10 periods, and each period has 1,700 to 2,000 hours on the job and at least 216 classroom hours. You work the same hours as journeymen and attend night classes 2 times a week.

  4. 4

    Choose your specialty

    After period 4, you choose plumber, pipefitter and welder, or HVAC service. When you complete the 5 years, you also earn up to 32 free college credits toward an associate degree at Chattanooga State.

Chattanooga plumbers' committee application page Chattanooga plumbers' committee apprenticeship page

More from the programs

Of the journeyman rate to start at the Chattanooga program

55%

Apprentices at the Chattanooga plumbers' and steamfitters' committee start at 55% of the journeyman rate. You get a raise every year if your progress is satisfactory.

A year in tuition at the ABC of Greater Tennessee academy

$2,900

Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Tennessee charges $2,900 a year in Middle Tennessee and $2,000 a year at its Knoxville academy. Books are included, and tuition is due by the first day of class. If you enroll without an employer, you're a trainee and not a registered apprentice until you work in the trade, and the academy doesn't guarantee job placement.

To apply to the Chattanooga plumbers' and steamfitters' committee, you must be 18 years old by September 1. The program takes 5 years. Bring your official high school transcript or GED scores, a valid driver's license, and a certified birth certificate or your Social Security card.

To apply to the Knoxville PHCC apprenticeship school, you must be at least 17 years old. The school asks you to work for a contractor in the trade, or to send a resume if you don't work in the trade yet. The plumbing program takes 4 years, with class once a week at 5 pm from August to May, and you work full time while you attend.

The Nashville plumbers' local is the largest program in the federal count. Its application fee is $25. The Memphis plumbers' local takes applications online all year and accepts an application with questions left blank.

ABC of Greater Tennessee application page Knoxville PHCC apprenticeship school page Nashville plumbers' local training page

Your license in Tennessee

To work as a plumber in Tennessee, you need your own license from the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. The license for an individual is the limited licensed plumber (LLP) license. To apply, you need 1 year of plumbing experience, which you prove with a local license or a notarized verification.

See how plumber licensing works in Tennessee

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Labor national apprenticeship data, extract of August 17, 2026: the programs, the apprentice counts, the median starting wage and the range of starting wages
  2. Chattanooga plumbers' and steamfitters' committee apprenticeship and application pages: the March applications, the ACT WorkKeys scores, the 55% starting rate and the 5-year program
  3. Knoxville PHCC apprenticeship school page: the employer requirement, the minimum age and the class schedule
  4. Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Tennessee education and application pages: the tuition, the April applications and the trainee rule
  5. Nashville and Memphis plumbers' locals' training and application pages, local572.com and ua17.org: the $25 fee, the requirements and the online application

The U.S. Department of Labor data has 18 Tennessee filings whose registration numbers name a different state. No figure counts those filings. Every bar uses the same scale.

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