The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Central Maryland Chapter trains apprentices to become heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) technicians. This is a four-year program that includes classroom instruction two nights a week at either Harford, Anne Arundel or Carroll Community Colleges. You'll be required to take classes, such as: Basic Electricity I and II, Advanced Refrigeration and Pipefitting, Chilled Water Systems and Wiring Diagrams. While you're required to go to school all four years of your apprenticeship, you don't need to have an HVACR industry job for the first year. By the second year, you must be employed by an HVACR contractor. At the end of the program, you'll receive a certificate that automatically makes you eligible for a Maryland HVACR license, without testing. Applications for the fall enrollment are typically available in June.
ACCA Central Maryland Chapter
P.O. Box 730
Severna Park, MD 21146
410-431-888
acca-cmd.org
The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee offers three electrician training programs. The Inside Wireman program lasts five years and requires you to work with a different contractor each year. You'll also need to attend school one day a week, every two weeks for the first three years. For the last two years, you'll go to school one night week to study topics such as: solid-state electronics, optical fiber and conduit bending. The telecommunications apprenticeship program is three years long, with classroom instruction one day a week, every two weeks for the entire program. You'll study AC and DC theory, category 5 wiring and security systems. Residential Training is a four-year program, with classroom education required after two years of on-the-job training. You'll attend school one night a week, from September to May, where you'll cover the national electrical code, job safety and blueprint reading. Applicants must be at least 18 and be able to submit high school or GED transcripts. You must also have had a passing grade in algebra.
Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee
4371 Parliament Place
Suite A
Lanham, MD 20706
301-429-2575
washdcjatc.org
The Plumbers and Steamfitters School is a competitive apprenticeship program that will prepare you to weld, install and repair pipes in a variety of structures. During the five-year program, you'll be required to work from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., five days a week. You'll also need to attend school two nights a week and occasionally on Saturdays. During that time, you'll study rigging and signaling, drawing interpretation, high-pressure steam and power piping, and pneumatic controls. Applicants are required to submit high school transcripts or a GED certificate with scores. You'll also need to submit a reference from an acquaintance or a former employer and score a 76 percent or better on your math test. Even still, out of the approximately 1,700 apprenticeship applicants, the school only chooses 100. When you complete the program, you'll be eligible for a Maryland plumbing license, HVACR license, gasfitters license or stationary engineers license.
Plumbers & Steamfitters School
1201 66th Street
Baltimore, MD 21237
410-866-5313
486school.org