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HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Alabama
Alabama has 13 registered HVAC technician apprenticeship programs: 2 union and 11 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn. The hours count toward the journeyman license (3,000 hours).2
Find a program near you
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13 programs
Affordable Sewer & Drain Inc. DBA Affordable Plumbing, Heating & Air
Fairhope · Baldwin County
Allen's Air Conditioning, Inc.
Tuscumbia · Colbert County
Atlas Heating & Air, Inc.
Fairhope · Baldwin County
BCM Heating and Air
Florence · Lauderdale County
C&H Cooling and Heating, Inc.
Sheffield · Colbert County
Dayne Hearn Heating and Cooling, Inc.
Florence · Lauderdale County
Fuller Heating & Air Conditioning
Muscle Shoals · Colbert County
Irwin HVAC Services
Leeds · St. Clair County
Price Heating and Air
Muscle Shoals · Colbert County
Shane Proctor Heating & Cooling
Tuscumbia · Colbert County
Sheet Metal Workers
Birmingham · Jefferson County
Sheet Metal Workers, Local Union 441
Mobile · Mobile County
Titan Heating and Air
Muscle Shoals · Colbert County
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Union or open shop?
Union
Run by a joint committee of the SMART sheet metal local or the UA pipefitters local and union contractors. 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 ACCA or PHCC chapters, ABC or a single HVAC contractor. 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?
Age
Usually 18. Some programs take applications at 17.
High school diploma or GED
Most programs ask for one. Bring a transcript.
Algebra
Electrical and sheet metal programs usually want one year of high school algebra with a passing grade.
Aptitude test or interview
Union programs give an aptitude test (math and reading) and an interview, then rank applicants. Open-shop programs usually start with a job offer.
Driver's license and drug screen
Many programs ask for both, since apprentices drive between job sites.
Applying this month
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
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
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
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.
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, 10 schools in Alabama have HVAC technician programs.
The license steps in AlabamaHow do you get into an HVAC technician 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 long is an HVAC technician apprenticeship in Alabama?
About 2 years. The journeyman license requires 3,000 hours of supervised work.
How much do HVAC technician 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 HVAC technicians in Alabama earned $17.56 an hour or less in May 2025.
HVAC Technician pay in AlabamaOther routes in Alabama
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- Alabama HVAC technician license requirements (hacr.alabama.gov, 2026-10-27)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Alabama, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)