Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / General Contractors / Alabama / Apprenticeships

Electrical student in a blue hard hat explaining a panel to a visitor

Home / General Contractors / Alabama / Apprenticeships

General Contractor apprenticeships in Alabama

Alabama has 9 registered general contractor apprenticeship programs: 1 union and 8 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn.

Find a program near you

Enter your ZIP to sort by distance. Lineman, utility and studio programs are hidden because they lead to a different license.

Type

9 programs

  1. AOTCS - Anteambulo Operating Technology Construction Services, Inc.

    Mobile · Mobile County

    Open shop

  2. Auburn Electrical Construction Company, Inc.

    Auburn · Lee County

    Open shop

  3. CS Beatty Construction Inc

    Birmingham · Jefferson County

    School

  4. Iron Mountain Construction

    Birmingham · Jefferson County

    Open shop

  5. McAbee Construction Inc.

    Tuscaloosa · Tuscaloosa County

    Open shop

  6. Midsouth Carpenters JATC (Birmingham)

    Pelham · Shelby County

    Union

  7. Summit Electrical Construction, Inc.

    Birmingham · Jefferson County

    Open shop

  8. Wayne Davis Construction

    Montevallo · Shelby County

    Open shop

  9. Williams Electric and Line Construction Inc.

    Tuscumbia · Colbert County

    Open shopLineman or utility

  10. Wiregrass Construction

    Birmingham · Jefferson County

    Open shop

Union or open shop?

Union

Run by the regional Carpenters training committee. You apply to the committee, take an aptitude test and an interview, and wait on a ranked list. The committee sends you to its contractors.

Pay is a set share of the union journey-level rate and steps up on a schedule. Classes are nights or week-long blocks, usually paid for by the program.

Open shop

Run by ABC, AGC or a single builder. You usually get hired by a member contractor first, and the contractor enrolls you.

Your employer sets the pay and the raises. Classes are nights or weekends, and some programs charge tuition.

What do programs ask for?

Applying this month

  1. Get your papers together1 week

    High school transcript or GED, a photo ID, and your birth certificate or proof of age. Programs that ask for algebra want the transcript that shows it.

    Time
    1 week
  2. Practice for the aptitude test2 to 4 weeks

    Union programs test algebra and reading. A few evenings with a practice test helps your ranking.

    Time
    2 to 4 weeks
  3. Pick three programs and check their dates1 evening

    Union programs take applications in set windows, some once a year. Open-shop programs and employer programs often take them year-round.

    Time
    1 evening
    Back to the program list
  4. Apply, then keep working

    Apply to all three. While you wait, a helper or trainee job with a licensed contractor gives you hours and a reference.

    The license steps

Can't get in yet?

Pre-apprenticeship

Short programs, often free, that teach the basics and help with the application. Ask the programs above which ones they take graduates from.

Start on a crew

Licensed contractors hire helpers with no experience. Keep a log of your hours and employers; many programs and license boards count them. If you'd rather learn the basics first, 5 schools in Alabama have general contractor programs.

The license steps in Alabama

How do you get into a general contractor apprenticeship in Alabama?

Pick programs near you, check each one's website for its application dates, and apply to more than one. Union programs test and interview, then rank applicants; open-shop programs usually start once a member contractor hires you.

How much do general contractor apprentices make in Alabama?

Programs set their own scales, usually a share of journey-level pay that rises every year. For a floor, the lowest-paid tenth of all general contractors in Alabama earned $21.57 an hour or less in May 2025.

General Contractor pay in Alabama

Other routes in Alabama

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
  2. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Alabama, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)