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Home / HVAC Technicians / Nebraska / Apprenticeships

HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Nebraska

Nebraska has 7 registered HVAC technician apprenticeship programs: 4 union and 3 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn.

Find a program near you

Enter your ZIP to sort by distance.

Type

7 programs

  1. A-Team Heating & Cooling

    South Sioux City · Dakota County

    Open shop

  2. Lincoln Sheet Metal Workers JAC

    Omaha · Douglas County

    Union

  3. Omaha Sheet Metal JAC

    Omaha · Douglas County

    Union

  4. Rutt's Heating & AC, Inc.

    Hastings · Adams County

    Open shop

  5. Sheet Metal Workers, Sioux City JATC Lu 3

    Omaha · Douglas County

    Union

  6. Standard Heating & Air Conditioning, INC.

    La Vista · Sarpy County

    Open shop

    standardac.com

  7. Tecumseh Poultry, LLC / Smart Chicken

    Waverly · Lancaster County

    Union

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?

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 Nebraska have HVAC technician programs.

The license steps in Nebraska

How do you get into an HVAC technician apprenticeship in Nebraska?

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 Nebraska?

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 Nebraska earned $20.93 an hour or less in May 2025.

HVAC Technician pay in Nebraska

Other routes in Nebraska

Sources

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