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Philadelphia trade apprenticeships for parents

In Philadelphia, apprenticeships pay you while you train. Trade schools charge tuition.

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What is a union apprenticeship?

It is a real job with classes. Your teen is hired by a contractor, works on job sites next to experienced workers, and goes to class at the union's training center, usually for 3 to 5 years.

Do apprenticeships pay?

Yes. The union programs on this site pay you while you train. Pay goes up as skills grow. At the end they become a journeyperson, a fully trained worker at the journeyperson pay rate. We show an hourly journeyperson rate only when that program publishes one. Trade schools are different: you pay tuition.

What does an apprenticeship cost?

Where a fee is published, these union programs list $40 (IBEW Local 98), $45 (IBEW Local 654), or $50 (Steamfitters Local 420, on the union's own site). Plumbers Local 690 and the Carpenters program do not state a fee. None of these union listings state a tuition charge. Trade schools charge tuition. Ask the training center what you pay to apply.

What is the trade school path?

Your teen pays tuition (financial aid may help), learns in class and in a shop, earns a certificate or degree, then looks for a job. Programs in our Philadelphia list run from a few months to 3 years.

When should we start?

These union programs need a high school diploma or GED. The minimum age is 18, except IBEW Local 654, which requires age 19. Williamson College of the Trades lists a Fall 2027 deadline of Dec 7, 2026. Thaddeus Stevens opened its Fall 2027 application on Sep 1, 2026.

Can we trust the numbers?

Every figure has a source you can open. College Scorecard numbers are federal. A number a school reports about itself is labeled school-reported and is not independently verified. If a program does not publish a number, we say so instead of guessing.

Each trade page lists work conditions from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET OnLine. Those sources name heights, tight spaces, lifting, and weather when the job includes them.

Not published BLS and O*NET describe the work. They do not give one injury rate for the programs on this site.Next step: Ask the training center what safety training apprentices get.

Some union programs publish a test. Others do not say. This list is only what each program's own pages state.

  • IBEW Local 98 Yes - qualifying score on aptitude test
  • IBEW Local 654 Yes - entry-level math/aptitude test, then oral interview
  • Plumbers Union Local 690 Yes - assessment by third-party testing company, then personal interview
  • Steamfitters Local Union 420 Not published Steamfitters Local Union 420 does not state a test on the pages we checked.Next step: Ask the training center whether there is a test, and what it covers.
  • Carpenters (EASCTC) Yes - 2-hour math test (decimals, fractions, geometry; no calculators) per PACA

Words you will see

Journeyperson
A fully trained worker who finished the apprenticeship.
Pre-apprenticeship
A short program that gets someone ready to apply to a union. The carpenters' CARP program on this site is free.
FAFSA
The federal form for college and trade school financial aid.