Post job

Hvac apprentice vs facility maintenance technician

The differences between hvac apprentices and facility maintenance technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a hvac apprentice and a facility maintenance technician. Additionally, a facility maintenance technician has an average salary of $39,575, which is higher than the $34,073 average annual salary of a hvac apprentice.

The top three skills for a hvac apprentice include customer service, customer satisfaction and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a facility maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.

Hvac apprentice vs facility maintenance technician overview

Hvac ApprenticeFacility Maintenance Technician
Yearly salary$34,073$39,575
Hourly rate$16.38$19.03
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs25,483171,217
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 44%Associate Degree, 31%
Average age4047
Years of experience44

What does a hvac apprentice do?

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) apprentices are trainees who work under HVAC maintenance workers. They train under HVAC maintenance workers to gain actual, on-the-job experience. To be an apprentice, one should have a formal training background related to HVAC repair and maintenance. They may be enrolled in a technical-vocational school specializing in HVAC repair and maintenance. As such, apprenticeship is part of their curriculum or class requirements. During their apprenticeship, HVAC apprentices will experience installing, diagnosing, repair, and maintaining HVAC units firsthand.

What does a facility maintenance technician do?

A facility maintenance technician is responsible for inspecting the safety and security of the facilities, including the operational tools, equipment, and machinery, to avoid potential hazards in the production area and maintain timely project deliverables. Facility maintenance technicians perform a regular check on the equipment, identifying glitches and inconsistencies, and repairing defective components to avoid delays in operation. They also install and assemble new machines, requiring them to have comprehensive knowledge of reading schematics and blueprints. A facility maintenance technician records incident reports and suggests immediate safety actions to management.

Hvac apprentice vs facility maintenance technician salary

Hvac apprentices and facility maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Hvac ApprenticeFacility Maintenance Technician
Average salary$34,073$39,575
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $43,000Between $29,000 And $52,000
Highest paying CityGaithersburg, MDAnchorage, AK
Highest paying stateAlaskaAlaska
Best paying companyJohnson ControlsThe American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Best paying industryHealth CareManufacturing

Differences between hvac apprentice and facility maintenance technician education

There are a few differences between a hvac apprentice and a facility maintenance technician in terms of educational background:

Hvac ApprenticeFacility Maintenance Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 44%Associate Degree, 31%
Most common majorHeating And Air ConditioningElectrical Engineering Technology
Most common collegeDunwoody College of Technology-

Hvac apprentice vs facility maintenance technician demographics

Here are the differences between hvac apprentices' and facility maintenance technicians' demographics:

Hvac ApprenticeFacility Maintenance Technician
Average age4047
Gender ratioMale, 97.0% Female, 3.0%Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 4.5% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage2%2%

Differences between hvac apprentice and facility maintenance technician duties and responsibilities

Hvac apprentice example responsibilities.

  • Install HVAC systems in new and retrofit fashion for residential customers in the greater-Seattle area.
  • Install and repair residential heating and air units, lift heavy equipment up ladders and in small crawl spaces.
  • Perform maintenance, repair, modification, replacement and installation of centrifugal chillers and refrigeration equipment.
  • Experience with copper, cpvc, or pvc pipe work.
  • Run PVC for HVAC applications.
  • Pump down and re-cover all refrigerant within EPA regulations.
  • Show more

Facility maintenance technician example responsibilities.

  • Maintain troubleshoot all facility equipment.
  • Certify in CPR and a use through the state of Minnesota.
  • Train and certify to operate floor buffers and walk behind floor scrubbers.
  • Develop an in-house CPR program saving the center an unnecessary yearly expense.
  • Operate high voltage equipment such as buffers, automatic scrubbers and high-pressure washers.
  • Remove snow from sidewalks using snow blowers, snow shovels and snow melting chemicals.
  • Show more

Hvac apprentice vs facility maintenance technician skills

Common hvac apprentice skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 14%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 14%
  • Ladders, 13%
  • Ventilation, 12%
  • Air-Conditioning Systems, 8%
Common facility maintenance technician skills
  • Plumbing, 17%
  • HVAC, 14%
  • Hand Tools, 5%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • OSHA, 3%

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs