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Home / HVAC Technicians / South Carolina / Apprenticeships
HVAC Technician apprenticeships in South Carolina
South Carolina has 17 registered HVAC technician apprenticeship programs: 1 union and 16 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn.
Find a program near you
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17 programs
A&M Heating and Air Conditioning, LLC
Murrells Inlet · Horry County
ACUTE Heating and Cooling
Goose Creek · Berkeley County
Air Conditioning Technical Services, LLC
Loris · Horry County
Alpha Sheet Metal Works, Inc.
Ladson · Charleston County
Blue Ridge Heating and Air
Greenville · Greenville County
Broom Heating & Air Conditioning
Blythewood · Richland County
Carney and Son 72 Degrees Air Conditioning & Heati
Johns Island · Charleston County
Central Carolina Heating and Air
Newberry · Newberry County
CIMCO Refrigeration
Duncan · Spartanburg County
Four Star Plumbing and Air Conditioning Services Inc.
Conway · Horry County
Hero Heating and Air, LLC
North Charleston · Charleston County
HVAC Training Solutions, LLC
Summerville · Berkeley County
LimRic Plumbing, Heating, & Air
North Charleston · Charleston County
Morelli Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc
North Charleston · Charleston County
Sheet Metal Workers Lu 399 And Mcgill Airflow Corporation
Fountain Inn · Greenville County
Sing Heating and Air
North Charleston · Charleston County
Waccamaw Heating & Cooling, LLC
Pawleys Island · Georgetown 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, 14 schools in South Carolina have HVAC technician programs.
The license steps in South CarolinaHow do you get into an HVAC technician apprenticeship in South Carolina?
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 South Carolina?
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 South Carolina earned $18.83 an hour or less in May 2025.
HVAC Technician pay in South CarolinaOther routes in South Carolina
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, South Carolina, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)