Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / Plumbers / Tennessee / Apprenticeships

Electrical student in a blue hard hat explaining a panel to a visitor

Home / Plumbers / Tennessee / Apprenticeships

Plumber apprenticeships in Tennessee

Tennessee has 7 registered plumber apprenticeship programs: 5 union and 2 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. Memphis Plumbers JAC

    Memphis · Shelby County

    Union

  2. Nashville Plumbers and Pipefitters

    Nashville · Davidson County

    Open shop

  3. Plumber and Pipefitters, Local Union 538 JATC

    Johnson City · Washington County

    Union

  4. Plumbers & Steamfitters LU 102 JATC

    Knoxville · Knox County

    Union

  5. Steamfitters Local Union 614 Joint Apprenticeship Training Program

    Arlington · Shelby County

    Union

  6. UA Local 43 Plumbers Steamfitters JATC

    Chattanooga · Hamilton County

    Union

  7. Westlake Pipe and Fittings

    Brownsville · Haywood County

    Open shop

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, 5 schools in Tennessee have plumber programs.

The license steps in Tennessee

How do you get into a plumber apprenticeship in Tennessee?

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 Tennessee?

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 Tennessee earned $18.52 an hour or less in May 2025.

Plumber pay in Tennessee

Other routes in Tennessee

Sources

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