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HVAC Technician apprenticeships in Ohio
Ohio has 20 registered HVAC technician apprenticeship programs: 8 union and 12 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn.
Find a program near you
Enter your ZIP to sort by distance.
20 programs
A-1 Heating Company
Toledo · Lucas County
Accurate Heating & Cooling & Plumbing
Lancaster · Fairfield County
All Seasons Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing Co.
Toledo · Lucas County
All-Temp Refrigeration, INC.
Lima · Allen County
Aw Heating & Cooling
Whitehouse · Lucas County
Columbus Sheet Metal Workers Apprenticeship
Columbus · Franklin County
Commercial HVAC
Cincinnati · Hamilton County
Mid-Ohio Air Conditioning LLC
Columbus · Franklin County
Ohio Assn of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
Chagrin Falls · Geauga County
Ricks Affordable Heating
Bowling Green · Wood County
Sheet Metal JATC, Cincinnati Lu 24
Cincinnati · Hamilton County
Sheet Metal Workers JATC, Akron Lu 33
Massillon · Stark County
Sheet Metal Workers JATC, Cleveland Lu 33
Parma · Cuyahoga County
Sheet Metal Workers JATC, Dayton Lu 24
Dayton · Montgomery County
Sheet Metal Workers JATC, Toledo Area
Rossford · Wood County
Sheet Metal Workers JATC, Vermilion Lu 33
Parma · Cuyahoga County
Sheet Metal Workers JATC, Youngstown
Youngstown · Mahoning County
Simon Roofing & Sheet Metal Corp
Youngstown · Mahoning County
Thompson Plumbing, Heating & A/C
Petersburg
Toledo Area Heating & Air Conditioning Mechanical Equipment
Northwood · Wood County
No programs match. Clear the county or type filter, or try a nearby ZIP.
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, 32 schools in Ohio have HVAC technician programs.
The license steps in OhioHow do you get into an HVAC technician apprenticeship in Ohio?
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 Ohio?
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 Ohio earned $18.57 an hour or less in May 2025.
HVAC Technician pay in OhioOther routes in Ohio
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Ohio, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)