How To Become A Pipe Fitter Apprentice: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pipe fitter apprentice and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a pipe fitter apprentice. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.51 an hour? That's $38,503 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 9,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePipe Fitter ApprenticeUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,503

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 1.85%

Black or African American 8.89%

Hispanic or Latino 19.62%

Unknown 4.20%

White 64.41%

Gender

female 6.31%

male 93.69%

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 a pipe fitter apprentice

Explore pipe fitter apprentice education requirements

Most common pipe fitter apprentice degrees

High School Diploma

51.4 %

Associate

21.3 %

Bachelor's

13.4 %

Start to develop specific pipe fitter apprentice skills

Skills	Percentages
Pipe Systems	19.52%
Caulking	12.00%
Brazing	11.89%
Hand Tools	8.38%
Plumbing	5.39%

Complete relevant pipe fitter apprentice training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pipe fitter apprentices 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 a pipe fitter apprentice based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pipe fitter apprentice resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed pipe fitter apprentice usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed pipe fitter apprentice in most of states. 26 states require pipe fitter apprentices to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Certified Master Gas Fitter
Maryland	Specific course required	State exam required	GAS FITTER
Arkansas	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Gas Fitter
Colorado	-	State exam required	Master Plumber
Connecticut	-	State exam required	Plumbing & Piping Unlimited Contractor

Research pipe fitter apprentice duties and responsibilities

Install PVC, copper gas lines, and PEX water lines.
Apprentice in the trade of pipe fitting for an employee own HVAC company.
Assemble numerous valves for refinery pipelines.
Move significant load with safe use of slings, chains, shackles, hooks, cables, and rigging equipment.

Prepare your pipe fitter apprentice resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pipe fitter apprentice 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 a pipe fitter apprentice resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable pipe fitter apprentice resume templates

Build a professional pipe fitter apprentice 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 pipe fitter apprentice resume.