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Plumber apprenticeships in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has 25 registered plumber apprenticeship programs: 2 union and 23 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn. The hours count toward the journeyman license (6,800 hours).2
Find a program near you
Enter your ZIP to sort by distance.
25 programs
"Witch City Plumbing Corporation"
Salem · Essex County
Adams Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Adams · Berkshire County
All Clear Plumbing Company, Inc.
Burlington · Middlesex County
Araujo Brothers Plumbing & Heating, INC.
Acushnet · Bristol County
Biermann Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Ludlow · Hampden County
Blue Hill Plumbing & Heating Inc
North Attleboro · Bristol County
Boston Plumbers Local #12
Dorchester · Suffolk County
Boulanger's Plumbing & Heating, INC.
Easthampton · Hampshire County
Charles M Moran Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Clinton · Worcester County
Corso Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Haverhill · Essex County
D. J. Plumbing & Heating
Danvers · Essex County
Emond Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Taunton · Bristol County
Gem Plumbing & Heating
Bellingham · Norfolk County
Grasseschi Plumbing & Heating, INC.
Worcester · Worcester County
It Plumbing & Heating, INC.
Braintree · Norfolk County
NEWPRO Plumbing, LLC
Woburn · Middlesex County
Pipefitters Local 537
Dorchester · Suffolk County
Piper Electric, LLC.
Leominster · Worcester County
Powderly & Sons Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Nutting Lake
Riverdale Plumbing & Heating, INC
Walpole · Norfolk County
Springfield Plbrs & Pipefitters L.U. #104 JATC
Holyoke · Hampden County
The Plumbing Academy
Middleton · Essex County
TJs Plumbing and Heating Inc
Canton · Norfolk County
Triangle Refrigeration, A/C, Plumbing, Inc.
Fall River · Bristol County
Worcester Plumbers & Pipefitters Local #4
W Boylston · Worcester County
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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?
Age
Usually 18. Some programs take applications at 17.
High school diploma or GED
Most programs ask for one. Bring a transcript.
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, 1 schools in Massachusetts have plumber programs.
The license steps in MassachusettsHow do you get into a plumber apprenticeship in Massachusetts?
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 long is a plumber apprenticeship in Massachusetts?
About 3 years. The journeyman license requires 6,800 hours of supervised work.
How much do plumber apprentices make in Massachusetts?
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 Massachusetts earned $25.01 an hour or less in May 2025.
Plumber pay in MassachusettsOther routes in Massachusetts
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- Massachusetts plumber license requirements (law.cornell.edu, 2026-10-27)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Massachusetts, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)