A plumbing shop hires a 19-year-old with no experience. For the first months they carry fittings, cut pipe and watch. A year in, they're sweating joints and roughing in bathrooms with a journeyman checking the work, and attending night classes on code and drawings. Four or five years later, with the hours logged and an exam passed, they're a licensed journeyman running their own calls. That path is an apprenticeship.
What does an apprentice do?
An apprentice is an employee first: paid for every hour, covered by wage and safety law, doing productive work. What makes them an apprentice is that the work follows a training plan. Federal rules define an apprentice as a worker at least 16 years old, unless a higher minimum age is set by law, employed to learn an apprenticeable occupation under registered standards.1
| Stage (illustrative 4-year electrical path) | Typical work | Supervision |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Material handling, pulling wire, boxes and conduit, basic safety | Constant, by a journeyman |
| Year 2 | Rough-in, service upgrades with guidance, reading prints | Close, work checked |
| Year 3 | Troubleshooting, panel work, small jobs with less oversight | Regular check-ins |
| Year 4 | Running parts of jobs, preparing for the licensing exam | As state rules and ratios require |
What does a registered apprenticeship require?
A registered apprenticeship is approved by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency. To be registered, the program's written standards must cover, among other things:2
Core federal standards (29 CFR 29.5)
- A term measured by at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning, by demonstrated competency, or a hybrid of the two
- An outline of work processes with the approximate time in each
- Related technical instruction, with at least 144 hours per year recommended
- A progressively increasing wage schedule, starting at no less than the FLSA minimum wage where it applies
- A specific numeric ratio of apprentices to journeyworkers
- A probationary period of no more than 25% of the term or 1 year, whichever is shorter
- Periodic evaluation and progress records
- A completion certificate issued by the registration agency
Unregistered, informal apprenticeships are legal and common. Registration adds structure, a nationally recognized credential and access to some funding, but also paperwork and oversight. Our article on registered apprenticeships for trade contractors covers the wage-per-productive-hour math, state tax credits and how to start a program, so this page doesn't repeat it.
How long is an apprenticeship?
| Trade | Typical length | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Electrician | 4 or 5 years, about 2,000 paid on-the-job hours a year plus technical instruction | BLS3 |
| Plumber, pipefitter, steamfitter | 4 or 5 years, about 2,000 paid on-the-job hours a year plus technical instruction | BLS4 |
| HVAC technician | Several years; many techs instead complete a 6-month to 2-year postsecondary program | BLS5 |
In licensed trades, the hours matter beyond the program itself. Texas, for example, requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas-licensed master electrician for a journeyman electrician license,6 as the journeyman page explains.
Apprentice vs helper vs journeyman
| Apprentice | Helper | Journeyman | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training plan | Yes, with milestones and instruction | Not necessarily | Training complete |
| Hours toward a license | Usually, if documented | Sometimes; check with your state | Already licensed or qualified |
| Pay structure | Rising schedule tied to progress | Hourly | Journey-level rate |
| Supervision | Required, often by ratio | Works with skilled workers | Can supervise apprentices |
| Can work alone | Depends on state law and stage | Usually not on licensed work | Yes, within the license |
Supervision ratios and state rules
Federal standards require each registered program to state a ratio of apprentices to journeyworkers.2 States add their own rules for licensed work. In Washington, for example, a noncertified electrical worker doing journey-level work must be supervised on the same jobsite by a certified electrician for at least 75% of each working day, with no more than one noncertified individual per certified journey-level electrician.7 Check your state licensing board before you schedule an apprentice alone on a call.
Why trade shops invest in apprentices
The Department of Labor reports more than 800,000 apprentices a year nationwide, 93% employment retention after completion, and an average starting salary of $86,000 after completion, based on data retrieved December 31, 2025.8 Those are all-industry figures, not trades-only, but they point the same direction as most shop owners' experience: people you train yourself tend to stay.
- 1
Pick a lead for each apprentice
A patient journeyman who wants to teach, with time in the schedule to do it.
- 2
Write the skill milestones
What the apprentice should be able to do at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months, and the raise attached to each.
- 3
Log hours from day one
Licensing boards want documented hours signed by the supervisor. Missing records cost apprentices months.
- 4
Add structured ride-alongs
A planned ride-along program speeds up the first year.
For a step-by-step ride-along plan, see the ride-along program. HVAC apprentices need refrigerant certification early: BLS notes that the EPA requires nearly all HVAC technicians to be certified in proper refrigerant handling.5 The EPA 608 guide covers the exam types.
How TradesWork handles apprentices
Helpers and apprentices are free seats in TradesWork: pricing is per technician who runs jobs and produces revenue. Put apprentices in the field app rather than on paper: on a two-tech install, the lead and the apprentice each get time from the job's statuses, with the clock covering anything else, and their hours flow into timesheets and payroll. Planning two-tech, multi-day installs as one job keeps an apprentice alongside their lead on the board, and the AI dispatcher treats apprentices who need a mentor as a hard rule when it proposes a schedule.
Footnotes
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29 CFR 29.2, Definitions, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. ↩
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29 CFR 29.5, Standards of apprenticeship, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. ↩ ↩2
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Electricians: How to Become One, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ↩
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Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters: How to Become One, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ↩
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Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers: How to Become One, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ↩ ↩2
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Apply for a New Journeyman Electrician License, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. ↩
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RCW 19.28.161, Revised Code of Washington. ↩
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Apprenticeship.gov, U.S. Department of Labor, headline figures retrieved December 31, 2025 per the site's footnote. ↩
