Welder Apprenticeship in Arizona

Wages, programs & career outlook

Welders join metal using heat and filler material — structural steel, pressure piping, aerospace alloys, automotive assemblies. Process matters: MIG for production speed, TIG for precision, stick for field repairs, and certified procedures for pressure or critical welds.

AZ Median Salary
$53,770/yr
+5% vs. national
National Median
$51,000/yr
AZ Employment
7,630
Welders employed
AZ Sponsors
5
Registered programs
Training Term
3.0 yrs
Time-Based
Job Growth
2.2%
2024–2034 projected
Annual Openings
45,600
Nationally, per yr

Welder Apprenticeship in Arizona: Quick Facts

What apprenticeship means here

A registered welder apprenticeship in Arizona combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Programs typically run 3.0 years and follow a time-based structure. You earn wages from day one — apprentices are employees, not students.

Arizona pay vs. national

Median welder wages in Arizona are $53,770/year, +5% above the national median of $51,000. Wages scale with experience — journey-level workers earn substantially more than apprentices.

Where to find programs

Arizona has 5 registered apprenticeship sponsors for welder 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 2.2% job growth for welders nationally between 2024 and 2034, with approximately 45,600 annual openings each year (replacement plus growth combined). Apprenticeship demand tends to track local construction and infrastructure spending — Arizona-specific outlook can vary from national figures.

Arizona Wage Spread

Annual wages for Welders in Arizona across all experience levels.

10th pct
$39,990
Median
$53,770
90th pct
$82,040
Middle 50% of workers earn $47,390$66,340

Current Welder Apprenticeship Openings in Arizona

No welder apprenticeship openings are currently listed on apprenticeship.gov for Arizona. 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.

Welder Apprenticeship Sponsors in Arizona

5 welder-related registered sponsors identified in the DOL ApprenticeshipUSA directory for Arizona. Directory lists sponsor names only — contact each organization directly to confirm current welder apprenticeship openings.

Organization City County
SteelFab Chandler
Able Steel Fabricators, Inc Mesa
CMC Steel Fabricators Inc. Mesa Maricopa County
Phoenix Fabrication Phoenix
Ridgeline Fabrication & Construction LLC. Tonalea Maricopa County
Search apprenticeship.gov for current Welder openings

Filter by occupation code 51-4121 and state AZ for the most relevant results.

Welder Apprenticeship in Arizona

The 5 Welder-related registered sponsors in Arizona mean apprenticeship programs exist but aren't abundant. Building relationships with local contractors and trade unions is often more effective than waiting for formal application windows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Welders earn in Arizona?
The BLS reports a median wage of $53,770/yr for Welders in Arizona (May 2024 data). Experience, union membership, and specialization all affect where you fall in the range.
What is the length of a Welder apprenticeship program?
A typical Welder apprenticeship lasts approximately 3 years (6,000 hours of on-the-job training). The program combines paid work experience with related classroom instruction.
Is an apprenticeship better than trade school for Welders?
The key difference: apprenticeships pay you during training while trade schools charge tuition. Many employers prefer apprenticeship-trained Welders, but trade school can give you a head start on the classroom requirements.
How do I find a Welder apprenticeship in Arizona?
Contact one of the 5 Welder-adjacent registered sponsors in Arizona (listed below), or search apprenticeship.gov for current openings. Local union halls, community colleges, and the state apprenticeship agency are good first stops.
Do Welder apprentices get paid during training?
Apprentices are paid employees from the start. In Arizona, a first-year Welder apprentice might earn around $26,885/yr (roughly half the $53,770 journeyman median), with scheduled raises throughout the 3-year program.

Prefer Trade School Instead?

Apprenticeships pay from day one, but the classroom-first path may fit better for some. Welders also train through trade school programs — shorter timeline, more upfront cost.

Compare Precision Metal Working programs in Arizona →
Or see all 332 programs nationwide.

Welder in Other States

Other Apprenticeships in Arizona

Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2024, DOL RAPIDS Registered Apprenticeship database, ApprenticeshipUSA Sponsor Directory.