Apprentice or journeyman?

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Jumped straight from apprentice to master, after 17 years in the business.

I had taken the journeyman's exam 13 years ago, but never bothered to go get the card, as there is no requirement in FL for licensure, other than a master plumber to contract.
 
Woah what how does that work phish? Up here you sign a "contract" for an apprenticeship. You go to school after 1500 hours of work, and repeat that 4 times, once you are finished the 4th term you are considered a red seal journeyman plumber/gasfitter (b)and can work anywhere in Canada. It's the highest you can go for school we don't have a master plumber ticket from what I know. What are requirements for journeyman or master plumber?
 
The apprenticeship program I went through back in the day required a sponsor (the company you worked for) who would verify the hours worked as you went to night school. After 4 years of both in trade experience and passing night school, they would count each hour in trade experience times 2, and you would have the hours in field necessary to take the journeyman's exam. Then you would take the results of that exam to a municipality or county, apply, and they would give you a journeyman's card.

Nowadays just slightly different, in that you have to go to the municipality or county first with your schooling record and proof of time in trade, pay them for the exam cost, and then they sponsor you.Then you can go sit for the exam, pass it, and get your journeyman's card.

Since I have more than enough time in trade, I wouldn't have had to produce proof of schooling.

But, my local county doesn't sponsor for the journeyman's exam, only for the master exam. I had the required experience being responsible for projects, got a letter from my day job company attesting to that, and took my master's exam.

As I recall, the requirements to take the master's exam were (don't quote me) 8 years in field with a certain amount of that being a foreman, superintendant.

To actually get the license required that you pass the exam, pay lots of fees (none of them huge), pass a background check and a credit check, get fingerprinted, obtain insurances, an occupational license, and probably a couple of things that I am forgetting.
 
Oh ok that's pretty cool. Interesting to know. I don't blame you for going right to your masters then, may as well since you had all the requirements
 
This is a plumber in CA. I think you can still be a journeyman or apprentice but you can skip all that and get you own license by just working in the field as a foreman or higher for four years. It's a weird set up and is in some cases to easy which would explain some of the poor work I have been seeing lately.

I am not a plumber but a General Engineering Contractor who specializes in Pipeline or underground utilities, the street work and big piping for the rest of you guys. I never had any official schooling but was an estimator and project manager for another company for 7 years before getting licensed myself. Our license sounds similar to Phish Master testing with the requirements.

C36 - Plumbing Contractor

California Code of Regulations
Title 16, Division 8, Article 3. Classifications

A plumbing contractor provides a means for a supply of safe water, ample in volume and of suitable temperature for the purpose intended and the proper disposal of fluid waste from the premises in all structures and fixed works. This classification includes but is not limited to:

(a) Complete removal of waste from the premises or the construction and connection of on-site waste disposal systems;

(b) Piping, storage tanks and venting for a safe and adequate supply of gases and liquids for any purpose, including vacuum, compressed air and gases for medical, dental, commercial and industrial uses;

(c) All gas appliances, flues and gas connections for all systems including suspended space heating units. This does not include forced warm air units;

(d) Water and gas piping from the property owner's side of the utility meter to the structure or fixed works;

(e) Installation of any type of equipment to heat water, or fluids, to a temperature suitable for the purposes listed in this section, including the installation of solar equipment for this purpose; and

(f) The maintenance and replacement of all items described above and all health and safety devices such as, but not limited to, gas earthquake valves, gas control valves, back flow preventors, water conditioning equipment and regulating valves.
 
Kansas city, Missouri requirements are 2 years under a master qualifies you to test for journey man license. Then 4 yrs as a journey you can test for master.
 
In the school I'm going to (a local vo-tech) I get 2 years and then go to a trade school and get my other 2 years. I can get all my hours from that. Plus I can get some certifications to. I just got certified for Gastite and we might get certified in trac pipe to.
 
Here (Pittsburgh,Pa) the county health department requires 356 hours at an accredited apprenticeship school over a 4 year program and 8,000 hours on-the-job training hours while working under a master plumber before you can take the journeyman's exam. Then 2 years under a master plumber before you can take the master's exam. In PA, other counties and townships have their own requirements but not many are enforced. All plumbers SHOULD be IPC licensed, but it will take years for the state you catch up with them all.
 

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