Apprenticeship

Welder Apprenticeships

What a welder apprenticeship pays, how long it runs, what the application requires, and what the licence at the end lets you do.

Length: 3–4 years for structural or pipe apprenticeships
Tuition: None
Journeyman median: $48,940/yr

Welders fuse metal using processes such as SMAW, GMAW, FCAW and GTAW, working from drawings and welding procedure specifications. Pay separates dramatically by qualification: a production MIG welder and a certified pipe welder with a 6G position test are in effectively different labor markets. Certification is process-, position- and material-specific, and is usually held against an AWS or ASME code.

Year one pay: $22,023; About 45% of journeyman scale
Journeyman median: $48,940; $23.53 per hour
Tuition debt: $0; You are paid to train

What you earn at each step

Apprentice wages are set as a percentage of journeyman scale and step up on a published schedule as you accumulate hours and classroom credits. The figures below apply the typical step schedule to the national median — your local’s wage sheet is the authoritative number.

Step	Share of scale	Approximate hourly	Approximate annual
Year 1	45%	$10.59	$22,023
Year 2	55%	$12.94	$26,917
Year 3	68%	$16.00	$33,279
Year 4	82%	$19.29	$40,131
Journeyman	100%	$23.53	$48,940

What the application requires

Education: High school diploma or equivalent
Training route: 6–18 month welding program, or an apprenticeship
Age: 18 or over. Registered programmes cannot set a maximum age.
Mathematics: One year of high school algebra with a passing grade. This is the most common reason applications stall, and one semester at a community college clears it.
Aptitude test: Most programmes test algebra and reading comprehension, with some mechanical and spatial reasoning. Free practice material is widely available; preparing genuinely moves your ranking.
Physical: Extended time in fixed positions, heat, fume exposure and often work at height or in confined spaces. Vision, steadiness and stamina matter more than raw strength.
Licensing outcome: No general license. Work is gated by weld procedure qualification tests specific to process, position and material.

Where to find programmes

Search the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Finder at apprenticeship.gov, then contact the union local, the ABC or IEC chapter, and licensed contractors in your area directly. Apply to all three routes in the same cycle — they have different intake calendars and different selection criteria.

Where it leads

After licensing, pay diverges by specialization far more than by years served. These are the paths most welders choose between.

Structural steel welding
Pipe welding (6G)
Pressure vessel and boilermaking
TIG / precision fabrication
Underwater welding
Aerospace and aluminum
Pipeline welding
Robotic welding operation

Common questions

How much do welder apprentices make?

Apprentices typically start near 45 percent of journeyman scale and step up on a published schedule. Against a national journeyman median of $48,940, that is roughly $22,023 in year one, rising to around $40,131 by the final year. Local scale varies substantially.

How long is a welder apprenticeship?

3–4 years for structural or pipe apprenticeships. The hours, not the calendar, are what qualify you to sit the licence exam, so working consistently matters more than time elapsed.

What do I need to apply?

High school diploma or equivalent is the baseline, plus being 18 or over, a valid driver's licence, reliable transportation, and one year of high school algebra with a passing grade. Most programmes also require passing an aptitude test, an interview, and a drug screen.

What licence does this lead to?

No general license. Work is gated by weld procedure qualification tests specific to process, position and material.

Licensing authority by state

Apprenticeship hours are portable, but licensing is not. Confirm the requirements with the board in the state where you intend to work before you start accumulating hours somewhere else.

Arizona
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin