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Become a HVAC technician

HVAC and refrigeration apprenticeships in Metro Detroit

Furnaces, boilers, chillers and rooftop units: install, service and the refrigeration license that comes after. Hvac technicians earn a median $30.37 an hour in the Detroit metro ($63,170 a year). The Department of Labor lists 22 registered sponsors for the trade in the six counties.

median an hour
$30.37
registered sponsors
22
registered term
3 to 5 years
working here
5,740
How to apply Training centers

The pay ladder

Hvac technicians in the Detroit metro

  1. Top of the trade 90th percentile, about $91,940 a year full time $45.97
  2. Senior hand 75th percentile, about $77,680 a year full time $38.84
  3. Journeyworker median, about $60,740 a year full time $30.37
  4. A few years in 25th percentile, about $46,380 a year full time $23.19
  5. Starting out 10th percentile, about $41,200 a year full time $20.60

BLS, May 2025. Apprentices start on their program's own scale and climb toward these rungs.

Wayne Oakland Macomb St. Clair Livingston Lapeer
Numbers match the training centers listed on this page; centers a few miles apart share a number. County lines from the U.S. Census Bureau; center addresses from the Department of Labor's RAPIDS records.

Training centers

Where HVAC technicians train

1 Troy and Warren

2 Flushing

Requirements

What the training centers ask for

County by county

HVAC and refrigeration apprenticeships in each county

Registered HVAC and refrigeration programs by county

  1. Wayne County 8 programs
  2. Oakland County 7 programs
  3. Macomb County 6 programs
  4. Livingston County 1 program

U.S. Department of Labor RAPIDS sponsor records as listed on Apprenticeship.gov, read October 24, 2026.

How to apply

How to become a HVAC technician apprentice

  1. Check the requirements

    Most programs ask for a high school diploma or GED, a valid driver's license and proof of age; federal rules set the minimum age at 16, and many trades ask for 18.

    Pipefitting Industry Training Center requirements

  2. Take the entry test

    WorkKeys and the Wiesen Test of Mechanical Aptitude; the center links to practice tests at no cost

    How Pipefitting Industry Training Center tests

  3. Apply in the window

    Applications are taken December 1 to 20

    Apply at Pipefitting Industry Training Center

  4. Get ready while you wait

    Your Michigan Works! agency helps with test prep, pre-apprenticeship classes and the work boots.

    Find your Michigan Works! agency

  5. Start work, earn raises

    The Department of Labor's registered HVAC technician standards run 6,000 to 10,000 hours on the job, 3 to 5 years, with a raise as each period is done.

    HVAC and refrigeration apprenticeships

Outlook

Jobs for HVAC technicians in the next ten years

Michigan expects 15,750 HVAC technicians by 2034 (up 6.6% from 2024), with about 1,360 openings a year as people retire and move on. Nationally, BLS projects up 10.9% from 2025 to 2035; it lists long-term on-the-job training as the usual training.

Sponsors

Registered HVAC and refrigeration sponsors in Metro Detroit

  • Aramark Corporation Warren Union
  • Detroit Diesel Detroit Union
  • Ford Motor Co. Lincoln Park Union
  • GM Factory Zero Detroit Union
  • GM Pontiac Manufacturing Pontiac Union
  • GM Tech Center Warren Union
  • General Motors Romulus Propulsion Operations Romulus Union
  • NAO Orion Assembly Center CLCD GMC Lake Orion Union
  • Operating Engineers LU 324 JATF Howell Union
  • Operating Engineers Local 324 (JATF Stationary Program) Detroit Union
  • Air Doctors Heating & Cooling LLC Southfield
  • CBRE, Inc. Southfield
Show all 22 sponsors
  • Exclusive Heating and Cooling Co, Inc. Detroit
  • Horstman Inc. Sterling Heights
  • JN Douglas LLC. Southfield
  • Jermor Plumbing & Heating Detroit
  • Lee Contracting, Inc. Pontiac
  • Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board Clinton Township
  • McCarver Mechanical Heating & Cooling Warren
  • Nexair Mechanical Corporation Macomb Township
  • SEMCA / WIN Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast Michigan Taylor
  • Tech Mechanical HVAC, LLC Pontiac

Other trades

Compare another trade

Electrical Plumbing and pipefitting Carpentry Millwrights Roofing Masonry and concrete Tile and terrazzo Painting and finishing Glazing Welding Ironwork Operating engineers Sheet metal Heat and frost insulation Elevator construction Construction laborers Power line work

Keep going

Careers, jobs and training

Questions

What people ask

How much do HVAC technicians make in Metro Detroit?

The median is $30.37 an hour ($63,170 a year) in the Detroit metro, from $20.60 at the 10th percentile to $45.97 at the 90th (BLS, May 2025).

How long is a HVAC technician apprenticeship?

The Department of Labor's registered HVAC technician standards run 6,000 to 10,000 hours of on-the-job learning, 3 to 5 years, plus classes.

Where do HVAC technicians train near Detroit?

Pipefitting Industry Training Center (Pipefitters Local 636) in Troy, Sheet Metal Workers Local 80 JATC (SMART Local 80) in Warren, and Flint Plumbers JATC (UA Local 370) in Flushing.

How many HVAC and refrigeration apprenticeship programs are there?

RAPIDS lists 22 registered sponsors based in the six counties: Wayne County 8, Oakland County 7, Macomb County 6, and Livingston County 1.

What do I need to apply?

Most programs ask for a high school diploma or GED, a valid driver's license and proof of age; federal rules set the minimum age at 16, and many trades ask for 18.

Sources

Where these numbers come from

  • Programs and sponsors: U.S. Department of Labor RAPIDS sponsor records as listed on Apprenticeship.gov, read October 24, 2026. Michigan's registered apprenticeships are kept by the federal Michigan Apprenticeship Office, so RAPIDS is the official list.
  • Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area (Michigan where the metro figure is not published).
  • Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035 and Michigan's long-term projections 2024 to 2034.
  • Length: the U.S. Department of Labor's approved apprenticeship occupations, in on-the-job hours.