How long is a welding apprenticeship?
A welding apprenticeship usually takes 3 years and 6,000 hours of paid work. Every welder-titled registered program we found on Washington Career Bridge, and the boilermaker program, runs exactly that, with no tuition charge.[s_cb6134][s_cb7467][s_cb4479] That is shorter than the 4-year electrician and 5-year pipe-trades programs, and well above the federal floor: a time-based registered program needs at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning, with 144 hours of classroom instruction a year recommended.[ecfr295]
| Program | Sponsor | Length | Hours | Journey rate | Finish rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production Welder[s_cb6134] | Ice Cap Holdings (single employer; current employees only) | 3 years | 6,000 | not listed | not reported |
| Fabrication Welder[s_cb7467] | Northwest Machinists Apprenticeship Committee | 3 years | 6,000 | not listed | not reported |
| Boilermaker (field construction and repair)[s_cb4479] | Western States Boilermakers Apprenticeship Committee | 3 years | 6,000 | $40.58/h | 20% |
Two of the three are not open to everyone: the production welder program takes only current employees of its sponsor, which is normal for single-employer apprenticeships.[s_cb6134] The boilermaker committee is the one that reports outcomes. Only 20% of the people who left it in the latest three years had completed it, and 82% of completers had a job 7 to 9 months later.[s_cb4479] Low finish rates are common in the building trades (see the comparison below), so ask any program how many of its apprentices top out.
Welding apprenticeship pay
Welding apprenticeship pay is a share of the journeyworker rate that rises on a written schedule; registered programs must have one, and the entry wage cannot fall below the applicable minimum wage.[ecfr295][ra] No federal source fixes the percentages, so the table is an example on the BLS national median welder rate of $25.84 ($53,750 a year).[onet_weld][oews]
| Year | Share of journeyworker rate | Hourly | Year’s pay (2,000 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 50% | $12.92 | $25,841 |
| Year 2 | 70% | $18.09 | $36,178 |
| Year 3 | 90% | $23.26 | $46,514 |
| Total, 6,000 hours | 70% average | $108,534 |
The rate you climb toward matters more than the steps. The boilermaker program publishes a journey-level rate of $40.58 an hour.[s_cb4479] On that rate, the same 50%-to-90% climb with a raise every 6 months pays $170,436 over 3 years. Against working those 6,000 hours at the full rate, the apprentice gives up $73,044, and that forgone pay is the real price of free training. Some programs step pay every 6 months instead of once a year, so the calculator has that setting.
Union welding apprenticeship or welding school?
A union welding apprenticeship pays you from the first day; welding school charges tuition but gets you hireable faster. BLS says employers often prefer a high school diploma plus technical training, and that some apprenticeships take beginners while others expect a welding school certificate first.[ooh_weld_how] A short program such as Renton Technical College’s 11-week welder helper certificate lists $2,915 in tuition.[s_cb7968]
| Registered apprenticeship | Welding school | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3 years, 6,000 hours[s_cb7467] | Weeks to 2 years; see welding school cost |
| Tuition | $0 in the programs above | From $2,915 for 11 weeks[s_cb7968] |
| Paid while training | Yes, rising schedule[ecfr295] | No, unless you work alongside |
| Ends with | Journey-level completion certificate | Certificate; weld tests for the job |
| Entry | Age 18, diploma or equivalent; some employee-only | Open enrollment at most colleges |
Do apprentices finish? Results by trade
Most building-trade apprentices who start do not finish. In Washington’s outcome data, completion rates run from 13% to 61% across trades, yet almost every completer is working 7 to 9 months later.[s_cb389o][s_cb2782o][s_cb4479] The figures cover everyone who left a program in the latest three years. Washington publishes them for each program, and we have not found another public source that does.
| Program | Completion rate | Employed after | Median earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boilermaker[s_cb4479] | 20% | 82% | $51/h |
| Steamfitter[s_cb2782o] | 61% | 89% | $59/h |
| Inside wireman (electrician)[s_cb4185o] | 28% | 97% | $58/h |
| Construction lineman[s_cb3922o] | 32% | 97% | $78/h |
| Plumber[s_cb389o] | 13% | 92% | $53/h |
Completion rate: graduates divided by everyone who exited. Employed after: completers with a job in the third quarter after finishing. Median earnings: former students’ typical hourly pay.
How to become a welder through an apprenticeship
To become a welder, most people get a high school diploma or equivalent, take technical training, then learn on the job or in an apprenticeship. Some states and cities also license welders.[ooh_weld_how]
- Meet the entry rules. The boilermaker and production welder programs require applicants to be at least 18 with a high school diploma or equivalent.[s_cb4479][s_cb6134]
- Pick the kind of welding. Production and fabrication welders work in shops and plants; boilermakers weld and fit pressure vessels and boilers in the field.[onet_weld_sum][onet_boiler]
- Find registered programs on Apprenticeship.gov or your state apprenticeship agency, then check whether the sponsor hires from outside.[ra]
- Consider a short course first. Some programs prefer applicants who already passed a school welding program.[ooh_weld_how]
- Track your hours. 6,000 hours at 40 a week and 50 weeks a year is 3 years; the license hours calculator counts any trade.
The payoff is real but varies by state: the welder median is $63,020 in Washington and $53,340 in Texas, against $53,750 nationally, and BLS counted 416,210 welding jobs.[onet_weld][oews_api] Boilermakers earn a median of $76,410.[oews_trades] See every state on welder salary, and the highest-paid niche on underwater welder salary. Then compare the paid routes on plumbing apprenticeship and electrician apprenticeship.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a welding apprenticeship?
Usually 3 years. The registered welder and boilermaker apprenticeships listed by Washington Career Bridge each require 6,000 hours of paid work.
How much does a welding apprentice make?
A share of the journeyworker rate on the program’s written schedule. On the $25.84 national median welder rate, an example ladder from 50% to 90% pays $12.92 an hour in year 1 and $23.26 in year 3.
Do you pay for a welding apprenticeship?
The registered programs in the table list $0 tuition. Ask about tools, books and dues, and check whether the sponsor only takes its own employees.
How do I become a welder with no experience?
Some apprenticeships take beginners with no training; others want a welding school certificate first. A high school diploma or equivalent is the usual minimum.
Is a boilermaker apprenticeship a welding apprenticeship?
It trains welding plus rigging and fitting: boilermakers arc-weld pressure vessel parts. The listed program runs 3 years and 6,000 hours, with a journey rate of $40.58 an hour.
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, How to Become One (high school diploma plus technical and on-the-job training; employer-based apprenticeships; some states license welders; 40,300 openings a year)
- 29 CFR 29.5, Standards of apprenticeship (2,000-hour minimum term; 144 hours related instruction recommended; progressive wage schedule)
- Registered Apprenticeship Program (paid job, progressive wages, related instruction, national credential)
- Local Wages: 51-4121.00 Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers (state and metro percentiles)
- Summary Report for 51-4121.00, Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers
- Summary Report for 47-2011.00, Boilermakers (tasks include arc-welding pressure vessel structures and parts)
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates
- OEWS May 2025 employment and median wage series (OEUN/OEUS), Public Data API v2
- OEWS May 2025 national wage percentiles, mean wage and employment for 30 skilled-trade occupations (OEUN series), Public Data API v2
- Production Welder apprenticeship, Ice Cap Holdings (3 years, 6,000 hours; current employees only)
- Fabrication Welder apprenticeship, Northwest Machinists Apprenticeship Committee (3 years, 6,000 hours)
- Boilermaker (Field Construction and Repair) apprenticeship, Western States Boilermakers Apprenticeship Committee (3 years, 6,000 hours; journey-level pay $40.58 an hour; completion rate 20%, employment rate 82%, median earnings $51 an hour)
- Welding: Welder Helper certificate, Renton Technical College (11 weeks, tuition $2,915)
- Steamfitter apprenticeship, Eastern Washington–Northeast Oregon Pipe Trades: completion rate 61%, employment rate 89%, median earnings $59 an hour
- Inside Wireman apprenticeship, Columbia Basin Electrical Training Alliance: completion rate 28%, employment rate 97%, median earnings $58 an hour
- Construction Lineman apprenticeship, Northwest Line Construction Industry JATC: completion rate 32%, employment rate 97%, median earnings $78 an hour ($198,000 a year); 91% of graduates in construction
- Plumber apprenticeship, Plumber CITC of Washington: completion rate 13%, employment rate 92%, median earnings $53 an hour