Registered Apprenticeship Training Program
Learn to become a pipefitter, welder, plumber or HVAC-R service technician
The UA Local 404 Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee or JATC operates a college accredited five-year apprenticeship training program for men and women who want to begin a career as a plumber, pipefitter, welder or HVAC-R service technician.
Our registered apprenticeship training program teaches individuals how to perform the specific work of their desired trade. Through an earn while you earn model, apprentices work during the day and get paid for the hours they put in. While on a jobsite, they learn the ins and outs of the piping trades from UA journeymen. These veterans teach apprentices the skills needed to efficiently perform high quality work within a given trade. Besides going to work, apprentices also receive in-person classroom instruction from certified JATC instructors, who teach them things they cannot learn on the jobsite, such as a certain level of math needed to perform the work. Additionally, apprentices also get hands-on training in a lab setting and earn industry-specific certifications needed on jobsites such as OSHA-10.
UA Local 404 apprentices earn a livable hourly wage and receive scheduled pay raises as they progress through the apprenticeship program. Furthermore, they earn full-family health insurance and are eligible for retirement benefits, which include a pension and a 401k.
The earn while you learn model is a great way to receive a good education and job training. When a person completes the apprenticeship program, they top out and become a journeyman, which means a person has the skillset to perform the work of a specific trade at a high level.
What does a plumber do?
Plumbers play a vital role in keeping people safe, as they install, repair, service and maintain potable water systems, non-potable water systems and sanitary systems. Potable water systems transport water people use to consume, shower or bathe in, clean and cook. Non-potable systems move water not fit for human consumption, but can still be used for tasks such as flushing a toilet.
What does a pipefitter do?
Pipefitters fabricate, install, repair and maintain the piping systems found in a number of settings including commercial businesses, residential buildings, industrial facilities or energy pipelines.
What does a welder do?
The main job of a welder is to cut, fabricate and join materials such as metals. Often times, UA welders will weld pipes, pipe fittings or the supports needed to hold the piping.
What does an HVAC-R service technician do?
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration or HVAC-R service technicians install, maintain and repair various types of heating and cooling, ventilation and refrigeration systems.
LU 404 JATC PROGRAM: Training Locations Amarillo-Lubbock- Wichita Falls
Joint Apprenticeship Committee:
John Anthony
Gayle Callahan
John Hill
Shannon Lusk
Grady Sanders
Ricky Sanders
JB Kirk
Jerry Deal
Randy Ledbetter
Quentin Bruggeman
John Williams
Jeff Williams
JATC Training Coordinator
Joe Apel
Journeyman Certifications Instructor
Angel Benavides
Amarillo Instructors
Marcus Evans
Tye Lightfoot
Dustin Mellenburch
Lubbock Instructors
Joe Delao
John Miller
Alex Atkinson
Jacob Vessel
Neal Hensley
Henry Brice
Skyler Beyer
Wichita Falls Instructors
Joe Apel
Angel Benavides
James Oden
