Plastic welder vs welder apprentice

The differences between plastic welders and welder apprentices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a plastic welder and a welder apprentice. Additionally, a plastic welder has an average salary of $44,588, which is higher than the $34,266 average annual salary of a welder apprentice.

The top three skills for a plastic welder include water tanks, RAN and extrusion. The most important skills for a welder apprentice are MIG, hand tools, and arc welding.

Plastic welder vs welder apprentice overview

	Plastic Welder	Welder Apprentice
Yearly salary	$44,588	$34,266
Hourly rate	$21.44	$16.47
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	7,251	14,044
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Plastic welder vs welder apprentice salary

Plastic welders and welder apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plastic Welder	Welder Apprentice
Average salary	$44,588	$34,266
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $59,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between plastic welder and welder apprentice education

There are a few differences between a plastic welder and a welder apprentice in terms of educational background:

	Plastic Welder	Welder Apprentice
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Precision Metal Working	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	-

Plastic welder vs welder apprentice demographics

Here are the differences between plastic welders' and welder apprentices' demographics:

	Plastic Welder	Welder Apprentice
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between plastic welder and welder apprentice duties and responsibilities

Plastic welder example responsibilities.

Perform TPM using companies' procedures.
Fabricate plastic pickling tanks using extrusion guns, drills, saws and other power tools
Perform MIG and stick welds and erecting structural steel utilize for building skeletons including specific/ detail measurements for accuracy.
Fabricate and repair of down hole tools, support for machine shops NDT testing
Assign and assist welders, NDT technicians, machinist and helpers with daily job assignments.
Operate the robotic welding machine which make the seat frame for all Honda vehicles

Welder apprentice example responsibilities.

Manage and run production parts through the brake.
Transition from GMAW to GTAW for use on tubular steel and aluminum welding projects.
Experience in utilizing skills in shortarc, Fluxcore, stick and minimal experience in Tig welding.
Operate metal brake, various welding machines, grinders, cutting torches, drills, and portable plasma cutter.
Acquire skill in handling different types of welders and cutting torches and the ability to process from blue prints.
Hook up and set welding SMAW machines.

Plastic welder vs welder apprentice skills

Common plastic welder skills

Water Tanks, 61%
RAN, 15%
Extrusion, 15%
Torches, 9%

Common welder apprentice skills

MIG, 12%
Hand Tools, 9%
Arc Welding, 7%
Brazing, 4%
Tack, 4%
Safety Equipment, 4%