Plumbing Apprenticeships in Wisconsin: Programs, Requirements and How to Apply

Plumbing apprenticeships in Wisconsin run through the state's registered apprenticeship system, and Wisconsin is a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) state: the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards registers and oversees the programs, acting for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Federally, registered programs are registered either by a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency or by DOL's Office of Apprenticeship where no SAA exists.

The union presence our research confirmed by name is United Association (UA) locals, detailed in the union section below.

Beyond the UA locals, our research did not confirm a Wisconsin merit-shop chapter, association program, employer sponsor or school by name, so treat those as questions to ask the Bureau and any sponsor you apply to.

Yes — on two levels, and both are mandatory statewide.

Wisconsin requires a DSPS licence to engage in or work at plumbing, and it names plumbing apprentices among the workers who must be registered.

To register as a plumbing apprentice, you must be entered into a plumbing apprentice contract recognized under Wis.

Stat. ch. 106, the DWD apprenticeship law, and apprentices work under the general supervision of a licensed master plumber.

The Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards also sets additional supervision standards for plumbing apprentices beyond the DSPS rules, for training and education purposes.

The apprentice registration itself carries no continuing-education requirement; renewing it means attesting to an active ch. 106 apprentice contract.

The union side our research confirmed by name is the United Association (UA): its directory lists six Wisconsin locals — Locals 75, 183 and 601 in Milwaukee, Local 118 in Racine, Local 400 in Appleton and Local 434 in Central Western Wisconsin.

The UA describes its registered apprenticeships as typically lasting five years and covering plumbing, pipefitting, HVACR, welding and fire protection.

Our research confirmed these locals by name only: it did not confirm which trades each local trains — plumbing against pipefitting and HVACR — or its application windows and entry requirements, so contact the local nearest you and ask how it trains plumbers.

Merit shop is the non-union side of the trade.

Our research did not confirm a specific Wisconsin merit-shop sponsor: no Wisconsin ABC or PHCC chapter, association program or individual employer was confirmed as sponsoring a registered plumbing apprenticeship.

Nationally, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) describes itself as founded on the merit shop philosophy, and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) offers apprenticeship content through an online learning academy — which chapters, if any, sponsor registered Wisconsin plumbing programs is chapter-level detail we could not confirm.

Ask the associations which Wisconsin chapters exist and whether they sponsor registered programs, and test any offer against registration: a registered apprenticeship is one that a registration agency — a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency or DOL's Office of Apprenticeship — has registered, so ask which agency registered the program and confirm it with that agency before you commit.

The classroom side of a registered apprenticeship is related technical instruction.

Federally, the Department of Labor recommends — but does not require — a minimum of 144 hours of it per year of apprenticeship; each program's registered standards set what it actually asks, and program terms may be time-based, competency-based or a hybrid.

Which Wisconsin schools, colleges or training centers deliver that instruction for plumbing apprentices was not confirmed in our research, so ask each sponsor where its apprentices take class and how the hours are documented before you sign.

The Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards is the state office to ask about registered plumbing programs in Wisconsin.

Start with the contract, because the registration hangs on it: find a sponsor that will hire you into a plumbing apprentice contract recognized under Wis.

Stat. ch. 106 and apply to it directly — the UA local nearest you from the list above (ask whether it trains plumbers), or a merit-shop employer or association program if one exists.

The federal floor: a registered apprentice must be at least 16 years old unless the law sets a higher minimum age, there is no federal maximum age, sponsors can set their own qualifications, and registered programs may not discriminate against applicants 40 or older.

Registered programs must pay a progressively increasing wage schedule tied to skill, and the entry wage may not be below the FLSA minimum wage where it applies; the percentage steps are set by each program's standards, so ask every sponsor for its written standards, wage schedule and application dates.

Completion earns a certificate issued by the registration agency — DOL's Office of Apprenticeship or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency — and the journeyman plumber exam requires a completed ch. 106 apprenticeship; our research did not confirm the exam vendor, so confirm exam details with DSPS.