How To Become An Apprentice Pipefitter: What It Is and Career Path

What is an apprentice pipefitter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an apprentice pipefitter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.63 an hour? That's $42,906 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 9,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreApprentice PipefitterUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $42,906

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.04%

Asian 1.86%

Black or African American 9.22%

Hispanic or Latino 18.54%

Unknown 4.21%

White 65.12%

Gender

female 7.65%

male 92.35%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an apprentice pipefitter

Explore apprentice pipefitter education requirements

Most common apprentice pipefitter degrees

High School Diploma

48.6 %

Associate

23.5 %

Diploma

10.7 %

Start to develop specific apprentice pipefitter skills

Skills	Percentages
Hand Tools	16.65%
Direct Supervision	11.81%
Work Ethic	10.39%
Hot Water	9.71%
Water Systems	8.42%

Complete relevant apprentice pipefitter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New apprentices pipefitter learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an apprentice pipefitter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real apprentice pipefitter resumes.

Research apprentice pipefitter duties and responsibilities

Work on carbon steel, cast iron, PVC, and copper lines.
Operate equipment such as cutting torches, threading machines, grinder, beveling machines and round-up clamps
Bond PVC using glue and primer.
Fit and weld industrial grade HVAC pipe.

Prepare your apprentice pipefitter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your apprentice pipefitter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an apprentice pipefitter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable apprentice pipefitter resume templates

Build a professional apprentice pipefitter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your apprentice pipefitter resume.