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HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Illinois
Illinois has 16 registered HVAC technician apprenticeship programs: 9 union and 7 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn.
Find a program near you
Enter your ZIP to sort by distance.
16 programs
A&W Plumbing & Heating Inc.
Murphysboro · Jackson County
Air Blue Heating and Cooling
Wheeling · Cook County
AirAce Heating and Cooling
East Peoria · Tazewell County
Alton Sheet Metal
Alton · Madison County
Bitler Heating, INC. (Ceu Authority)
Port Bryon · Rock Island County
Consolidated Sheet Metal Local 1 Joint Apprenticeship Training Fund
Morton · Tazewell County
FW Plumbing & Heating
Benton · Franklin County
Illowa Sheet Metal JATC Lu 91
Rock Island · Rock Island County
Internatl Assoc of SMART LU 265
Carol Stream · DuPage County
Johnson HVACR & Foodservice Equipment
Pekin · Tazewell County
Rockford Area Plumbing Pipefitting & Refrigeration JATC
Rockford · Winnebago County
Sheet Metal Workers #268
Caseyville · St. Clair County
Sheet Metal Workers 218-C
Champaign · Champaign County
Sheet Metal Workers L.U. 218-S JATC
Springfield · Sangamon County
sheetmetalworkers218s.comSheet Metal Workers Local #73 JATC
Bellwood · Cook County
Sheet Metal Workers Local 218-D
Decatur · Macon County
No programs match. Clear the county or type filter, or try a nearby ZIP.
Union locals and training centers in Illinois
Call the local or its training center for the next application date.
SMART union locals
- SMART Local 1Morton(309) 682-5677
- SMART Local 73Hillside(708) 449-0073
- SMART Local 91Rock Island(309) 787-0695
- SMART Local 218Springfield(217) 529-0161
- SMART Local 219Rockford(815) 874-6641
- SMART Local 256Villa Park(312) 623-7009
- SMART Local 265Downers Grove(630) 668-0110
- SMART Local 268Caseyville(618) 397-1443
2 more SMART locals
- SMART Local 367Antioch
- SMART Local 484Chicago(708) 925-2767
Sheet metal training centers
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 73 Apprentice and Journeymens Training Fund2701 Van Buren Street, Bellwood(708) 544-5711
- Sheet Metal Workers 268 JATC2701 North 89th Street, Caseyville
- Mid-State Contractors & Sheet Metal Workers Local 218C JATC605 S. Country Fair Drive, Champaign(217) 971-0380
- Decatur Area Sheet Metal JATC2914 E Locust, Decatur(217) 971-0380
- SMART Local 265 JATC3110 Woodcreek Dr., Downers Grove(630) 668-0110
- Consolidated Sheet Metal Local 1 JATF840 West Birchwood, Morton(309) 682-3141
- Ottawa Area Sheet Metal JATC341 Bellevue Avenue, Ottawa(815) 433-1047
- Illowa Sheet Metal Workers Local 91 Apprentice & Training Committee, Inc.8124 42nd Street West, Rock Island(309) 787-0695
2 more centers
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 219 JATC3316 Publishers Drive, Rockford(815) 874-6641
- Local 218 Springfield Sheet Metal JATC2855 Via Verde, Springfield(217) 971-0380
PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)
- PHCC of Illinois821 S Grand Ave W, Springfield(800) 795-7422
- PHCC of Northwest Indianac/o Mann Made Plumbing, 2406 W. Offner Rd, Beecher(219) 838-1151
- PHCC of Bloomington/NormalPO Box 91, Deer Creek(309) 447-6585
- Midwest Illinois Mechanical Contractors Assoc.PO Box 364, Edwardsville(618) 972-2914
- Egyptian Association of PHCC1400 N Wood RD #12, Murphysboro(618) 319-0483
- PCA of Greater Chicago900 Jorie Blvd., Suite 195, Oak Brook(312) 563-9526
- PHCC of Great SW Illinois2 Bronze Pointe S Unit B, Swansea(618) 236-9100
ACCA member contractors near you
Pipefitters and HVAC service techs also apprentice through the UA: UA locals in Illinois.
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, 31 schools in Illinois have HVAC technician programs.
The license steps in IllinoisHow do you get into an HVAC technician apprenticeship in Illinois?
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 HVAC technician apprentices make in Illinois?
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 Illinois earned $22.45 an hour or less in May 2025.
HVAC Technician pay in IllinoisOther routes in Illinois
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Illinois, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)