San Jose Pipe Trades Training Center Apprenticeship Program
The Training Center offers a five-year apprenticeship program with standard curriculum.
Each year consists of 1,800 to 2,000 hours of reasonably continuous on-the-job training, under the direct supervision of a Journey person. Apprentices spend two evenings per week in class, and are exposed to all aspects of their respective trades.
Testing occurs at five one-year intervals and at the end of the five-year training period. All tests must be passed before the apprentice is granted Journey-level status.
Upon completion of the apprenticeship program, the apprentice is granted Journey status by the Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (JATC) and receives a Certificate of Completion from the State of California and from the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada.
With this certificate, the apprentice is qualified to work in the trade anywhere in the United States and Canada.
Job Placement
While the JATC does not guarantee employment, it will work with the local hiring hall to assist all eligible applicants in securing work as an apprentice. As approved contractors submit requests for an apprentice, the first eligible person from the waiting list will be informed of the opportunity.
Applicants for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanical Service may seek employment on their own. If an employer has the proper approval, is within the Journey person/apprentice ratio, and agrees to sign the acceptance letter, the applicant can be dispatched as a beginning apprentice.
Opportunities for Advancement
Chances for advancement in the trades are determined by the growth of the industry, the employing contractor, and the apprentice's individual skill and ambition.
All supervisors and most superintendents in the industry have come up through the ranks.
It's also possible to move into office positions in the estimating, sales, design, management or contractor fields.
