Plumber & Pipefitter Apprenticeship in California
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair the piping systems that carry water, gas, steam, and waste. Residential plumbers work on homes; pipefitters and steamfitters handle industrial and commercial systems with higher pressures and tighter tolerances.
Plumber & Pipefitter Apprenticeship in California: Quick Facts
What apprenticeship means here
A registered plumber & pipefitter apprenticeship in California combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Programs typically run 4.0 years and follow a time-based structure. You earn wages from day one — apprentices are employees, not students.
California pay vs. national
Median plumber & pipefitter wages in California are $68,390/year, +9% above the national median of $62,970. Wages scale with experience — journey-level workers earn substantially more than apprentices.
Where to find programs
California has 75 registered apprenticeship sponsors for plumber & pipefitter listed in the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov directory. The sponsor list further down includes joint labor-management programs (JATCs), individual employers, and contractor associations.
Job-market outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 4.5% job growth for plumber & pipefitters nationally between 2024 and 2034, with approximately 44,000 annual openings each year (replacement plus growth combined). Apprenticeship demand tends to track local construction and infrastructure spending — California-specific outlook can vary from national figures.
California Wage Spread
Annual wages for Plumber & Pipefitters in California across all experience levels.
Current Plumber & Pipefitter Apprenticeship Openings in California
No plumber & pipefitter apprenticeship openings are currently listed on apprenticeship.gov for California. The sponsors listed below accept applications on a rolling basis — contact them directly. Consider setting up an alert on apprenticeship.gov to be notified when new listings are posted.
Listings aggregated from apprenticeship.gov (US Dept. of Labor). Data refreshed daily.
Plumber & Pipefitter Apprenticeship Sponsors in California
75 plumber & pipefitter-related registered sponsors identified in the DOL ApprenticeshipUSA directory for California. Directory lists sponsor names only — contact each organization directly to confirm current plumber & pipefitter apprenticeship openings.
| Organization | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Cintas Fire Protection | Anaheim | |
| Expedite Fire, Inc. dba Lindley Fire | Anaheim | |
| Esparza Fire Protection | Arleta | |
| Singleton Fire Protection, Inc. | Arleta | |
| Marseilles Plumbing | Atascadero | |
| West Coast Fire Protection Systems Co., Inc. | Auburn | |
| Impact Fire Protection, Corp. | Bakersfield | |
| J. Noble binns PlumbingInc. | Bakersfield | |
| LOCAL UNION 460 PIPE TRADES | Bakersfield | |
| California Fire Sprinkler Academy | Burbank | |
| Glendale Burbank SF Valley Plumbers Steamfitters JATC 761 | Burbank | |
| JATC Plumbing, Pipe-Fitting & Refrigeration Industry of San Mateo County | Burlingame | |
| MONTEREY AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES PLUMBERS, PIPE AND REFRIGERATION FITTERS JOINT APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING COMMITTEE (J.A.T.C.) | Castroville | |
| Monterey/Santa Cruz JATCfor the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry U.A. Local 062 | Castroville | |
| Christopherson Fire Protection | Chino | |
| Superior Fire Protection, Inc. | City Of Industry | |
| SAN BERNARDINO & RIVERSIDE COUNTIES PLUMBING & STEAMFITTER TRADE J.A.C. | Colton | |
| San Bernardino & Riverside Co. Plumbing & Steamfitters | Colton | |
| UA Local 342 Plumbers & Pipefitters JATC | Concord | |
| O'Brien/Drain Aid Plumbing Company | Crestline | |
| Pinnacle Plumbing | Davis | |
| Landscape & Irrigation Fitters of Southern California | Duarte | |
| Tisco Fire Systems, Inc. | Folsom | |
| Fresno Area Plumbers, Pipe & Refrigeration Fitters JATC | Fresno | |
| MS Fire Protection, Inc. | Fresno | |
| + 50 more sponsors in California | ||
Filter by occupation code 47-2152 and state CA for the most relevant results.
Plumber & Pipefitter Apprenticeship in California
With 75 Plumber & Pipefitter-adjacent sponsors on record, California ranks among the stronger states for this trade's apprenticeship access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prefer Trade School Instead?
Apprenticeships pay from day one, but the classroom-first path may fit better for some. Plumber & Pipefitters also train through trade school programs — shorter timeline, more upfront cost.