Paid Apprenticeships in the Skilled Trades
A registered apprenticeship is a job first and a training program second: you are on payroll from day one and your wage steps up as you log hours. That is the practical difference between an apprenticeship and a trade school — one pays you, the other charges you.
| Trade | What apprentices are told about pay | Median pay once qualified |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | Registered apprentices commonly start around 40–50% of the journeyman wage in their area and get a raise at each step of the program, so you earn while you learn instead of paying tuition. | $62,350 / year |
| Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters | Apprentices are paid from the first day and step up with each year of training. Most states, including Texas, require 2–5 years of documented experience plus an exam before you can be licensed on your own. | $62,970 / year |
| Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers | HVAC has the shortest runway of the major trades: a 6–12 month certificate plus EPA 608 can put you in a truck as an installer or maintenance tech, and service techs often add commission on top of hourly pay. | $59,810 / year |
| Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers | Pay in welding tracks your certifications and the position you can weld in. Structural shop work sits near the bottom of the range; certified pipe welders and specialty work (pipeline, nuclear, aerospace) sit far above the median. | $51,000 / year |
| Sheet metal workers | Construction sheet metal workers usually enter a 4–5 year apprenticeship and earn a raise at each step. Manufacturing roles often start with on-the-job training instead. | $60,850 / year |
| Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians | Dealers and rental houses hire lube techs and shop helpers straight out of high school and pay for further training. Field service techs — the ones who drive a service truck to the job site — earn the most and are hardest to find. | $62,740 / year |
| Computer network support specialists (closest BLS category) | There are two ways in. The IT path starts on the floor racking and cabling hardware. The critical-facility path starts as an electrical or mechanical apprentice and moves into the data center because that is where the highest-paid, most reliable work is. | $73,340 / year |
| Solar photovoltaic installers | Installer roles are among the most accessible trade jobs to get hired into with no experience. Pay climbs fastest if you add electrical licensing or NABCEP certification, since installers who can also do the electrical tie-in are far more valuable. Note the occupation is small — high growth, but fewer total openings than electrical or HVAC. | $51,860 / year |
Apprenticeship openings on BlueBoard are listed by trade. Each page shows only the roles that genuinely read as apprentice, helper, trainee or paid-training positions rather than every opening in the trade.
Wage figures are U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook national data for May 2024. Job-opening and growth figures are BLS projections for 2024–2034. Pay in the Dallas–Fort Worth market varies by employer, union agreement and overtime.