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HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Idaho
Idaho has 21 registered HVAC technician apprenticeship programs: 2 union and 19 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn. The hours count toward the journeyman license (8,000 hours).2
Find a program near you
Enter your ZIP to sort by distance.
21 programs
A-1 Heating & Air Conditioning INC.
Meridian · Ada County
Alliance Air Heating & Cooling
Coeur d'Alene · Kootenai County
Americool Heating & Cooling LLC
Kuna · Ada County
Bill's Heating & Air Conditioning
Post Falls · Kootenai County
Dependable Heating & Air Conditioning
Idaho Falls · Bonneville County
DR Heating & Plumbing
Rigby · Jefferson County
Fox Heating & Cooling
Boise · Ada County
Freedom Heating, INC.
Idaho Falls · Bonneville County
JA Bertsch Heating & Cooling
Coeur d'Alene · Kootenai County
JA Bertsch Heating and Cooling
Coeur d'Alene · Kootenai County
Lake City Heating & Cooling INC
Coeur d' Alene · Kootenai County
Mathews Plumbing & Heating
Shelley · Bingham County
Pocatello & SE Idaho Sheet Metal Workers JATC
Firth · Bingham County
Reis Plumbing & Heating
Filer · Twin Falls County
Rigby Plumbing & Heating LLC
Grace · Caribou County
Sampson Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Hayden · Kootenai County
Strobel Custom Heating and Air LLC
Saint Maries · Benewah County
SW Central ID Sheet Metal Workers JATC
Boise · Ada County
smw55.orgUltimate Heating And Air
Kuna · Ada County
Unlimited Heating & Refrigeration
Moscow · Latah County
Wickstrom Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling
Nampa · Canyon County
No programs match. Clear the county or type filter, or try a nearby ZIP.
Union locals and training centers in Idaho
Call the local or its training center for the next application date.
SMART union locals
No SMART local has its office in Idaho. Search the SMART local union directory.
Sheet metal training centers
- Southwest Central Idaho JATC5682 Albatros, Boise(208) 562-0237
- Pocatello & Southeast Idaho Sheet Metal Workers JATC308 S. Main Street, Firth(208) 680-5912
PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)
No PHCC chapter lists an office in Idaho. ACCA member contractors near you
Pipefitters and HVAC service techs also apprentice through the UA: UA locals in Idaho.
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, 4 schools in Idaho have HVAC technician programs.
The license steps in IdahoHow do you get into an HVAC technician apprenticeship in Idaho?
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 Idaho?
About 4 years. The journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised work.
How much do HVAC technician apprentices make in Idaho?
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 Idaho earned $18.59 an hour or less in May 2025.
HVAC Technician pay in IdahoOther routes in Idaho
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- Idaho HVAC technician license requirements (adminrules.idaho.gov, 2026-10-27)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Idaho, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)