Get Paid to Learn Plumbing in San Jose: UA Local 393’s Residential Apprenticeship Has No Entrance Exam
A paid, tuition-free residential plumbing apprenticeship in San Jose with no entrance exam: get hired by a Local 393 contractor, then get sponsored.
I drive rideshare in Austin, about 15 hours a day, seven days a week. Robot cars keep showing up on my routes, so I keep looking for work a bot can’t just roll up and do. Running water and waste lines through a real house, under a real slab, to code, is that kind of work. This week’s trade pick pays you while you learn it.
Heads up: this one is in California, not Texas. It’s the Pipe Trades Training Center (PTTC) in San Jose, the training center for UA Local 393 Plumbers, Steamfitters and HVACR Service Technicians of Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. It’s a registered apprenticeship with the State of California and the U.S. Department of Labor (PTTC, About Us; PTTC, Programs & Courses).
The fast door: Residential Plumbing
Most union apprenticeships make you apply, test and wait. PTTC’s Residential Plumbing apprenticeship doesn’t require an application or an entrance exam. Here’s the path, straight from the training center (PTTC, Apply; PTTC, Residential Plumbing Entry Process (PDF)):
- Get hired by a Residential Plumbing contractor that’s signatory with Local 393. The training center posts the list (contractor list (PDF)).
- Work there at least 3 months. Then ask your contractor for a letter saying they want you in the apprenticeship.
- Turn in that sponsorship letter, proof of your 3 months, a dispatch from Local 393 and a state photo ID. They’ll contact you when the next group of apprentices starts.
How it works and what it pays
Residential Plumbing is a 4-year program. Each year is 1,760 hours of paid on-the-job training under a journey-level plumber, plus class one night a week, two semesters a year, with summers off. You learn plumbing code, drainage, gas and water installs, blueprint reading and piping layout. When you finish, you get journey-level status and a State of California completion certificate, and the classes can count toward an associate degree at Foothill College (PTTC, Programs & Courses).
The training center’s own fact sheet says tuition is free and the apprentice starting wage is over $21.13 an hour, plus medical and 401(k) retirement benefits (PTTC, Residential Plumbing Entry Process (PDF)). On Local 393’s current residential sheet (effective Nov. 12, 2025 to Nov. 11, 2026), a residential journeyman’s base rate is $41.67 an hour, with a total package of $57.50 an hour once health and pension are counted (UA Local 393, Residential Wage & Fringe Rates (PDF)). That’s the finished trade, not apprentice pay.
What you need (no degree)
- A job with a Local 393 signatory residential contractor (that’s the big one).
- A state-issued photo ID.
- No college. No entrance exam for this track.
Want commercial work instead? PTTC also runs 5-year Plumbing, Steamfitting, HVACR and Plumbing Service & Repair apprenticeships. Those start with a required info session, then an online application with a valid ID and a high school diploma, GED or transcript. Then you take an in-person entrance exam on basic math and mechanical reasoning. You need 75% or better to pass, and the exam is usually given once a year, near the start of the year (PTTC, Apply). Info sessions run 4:00 to 5:30 PM at 780 Commercial Street, San Jose (PTTC, Visit the Training Center).
Why I’m watching trades like this
Nationally, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters make a median of $30.67 an hour, or $63,800 a year. The usual entry-level education is a high school diploma, and the training is an apprenticeship. BLS projects the field to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 42,000 openings a year (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook; O*NET 47-2152.00).
Every house is different. The leak is behind a different wall, the slab is cracked in a different spot, and the code inspector shows up in person. BLS says this work means lifting heavy materials, climbing ladders and working in tight spaces, sometimes outdoors in any weather. That puts it at lower near-term risk from AI than routine office work. Lower, not AI-proof. Nothing is.
Me, I’m stacking side hustles and studying day trading to get out of the driver’s seat. Not everybody wants that path. If you want something with your hands where they pay you while you learn, this is worth a look.
See every trade school and apprenticeship I’ve found so far on my Trades page.
Hustle on hustle.
