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Home / Plumbers / Illinois / Apprenticeships

Plumber apprenticeships in Illinois

Illinois has 27 registered plumber apprenticeship programs: 11 union and 16 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn.

Find a program near you

Enter your ZIP to sort by distance.

Type

27 programs

  1. A&D Plumbing

    Marion · Williamson County

    Open shop

  2. A&W Plumbing & Heating Inc.

    Murphysboro · Jackson County

    Open shop

  3. Almighty Plumbing LLC

    Moline · Rock Island County

    Open shop

  4. Asap Plumbing LLC

    Woodstock · McHenry County

    Open shop

    asapplumbingnow.com

  5. Buzard Pipe Organ Builders, LLC

    Champaign · Champaign County

    Open shop

  6. Dale's Plumbing

    Rockford · Winnebago County

    Open shop

  7. FW Plumbing & Heating

    Benton · Franklin County

    Open shop

  8. Hirst Plumbing & Mechanical Services, Inc. (ABC)

    East Moline · Rock Island County

    Open shop

  9. JAC Plumbers & Pipefitters #149

    Savoy · Champaign County

    Union

  10. Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee Of Steamfitters #353

    Peoria · Peoria County

    Union

  11. Mann Made Plumbing, INC.

    Beecher · Will County

    Open shop

  12. Marion Plumbing

    Marion · Williamson County

    Open shop

  13. Pipe Fitter's Training Fund #597

    Mokena · Will County

    Open shop

  14. Plumbers & Gasfitters Local #360

    Collinsville · Madison County

    Open shop

  15. Plumbers & Pipe Fitters UA Local 99

    Bloomington · McLean County

    Union

    plumbersua99.com

  16. Plumbers & Pipefitters Local #551 JATC

    West Frankfort · Franklin County

    Union

  17. Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 101

    Belleville · St. Clair County

    Union

    ualocal101.org

  18. Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 553 Training Fund

    East Alton · Madison County

    Union

  19. Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union #653

    Centralia · Marion County

    Union

  20. Plumbers And Pipefitters JATC Of Eastern Ia & Western Il Local 25

    Rock Island · Rock Island County

    Union

  21. Plumbers Local #63 & J A T C Peoria

    East Peoria · Tazewell County

    Open shop

  22. Plumbers' Joint Apprenticeship Committee Local 130, UA

    Chicago · Cook County

    Union

    apply.jac130.org

  23. Rend Lake Plumbing

    Bonnie · Jefferson County

    Open shop

  24. Rockford Area Plumbing Pipefitting & Refrigeration JATC

    Rockford · Winnebago County

    Union

  25. Springfield Plumbers & Steamfitters

    Springfield · Sangamon County

    Open shop

  26. United Association of Steamfitters JAC (Local 439)

    Caseyville · St. Clair County

    Union

  27. Watson Plumbing & Mechanical

    Rock Island · Rock Island County

    Open shop

Union locals and training centers in Illinois

Call the local or its training center for the next application date.

UA union locals

9 more UA locals

Training

UA apprenticeships run through a joint committee of the local and union contractors. Call the local for the next application date.

PHCC chapters

Union or open shop?

Union

Run by a joint committee run by the United Association (UA) 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 PHCC, ABC or a single plumbing 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, 4 schools in Illinois have plumber programs.

The license steps in Illinois

How do you get into a plumber 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 plumber 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 plumbers in Illinois earned $24.16 an hour or less in May 2025.

Plumber pay in Illinois

Other routes in Illinois

Sources

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