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Become a insulator

Heat and frost insulation apprenticeships in Metro Detroit

Insulate pipe, ducts, boilers and tanks in plants, hospitals and power stations. Insulators earn a median $28.30 an hour in Michigan ($58,860 a year). The Department of Labor lists 1 registered sponsor for the trade in the six counties.

median an hour
$28.30
registered sponsors
1
registered term
2 to 5 years
How to apply Training centers

The pay ladder

Insulators in Michigan

  1. Top of the trade 90th percentile, about $79,080 a year full time $39.54
  2. Senior hand 75th percentile, about $74,760 a year full time $37.38
  3. Journeyworker median, about $56,600 a year full time $28.30
  4. A few years in 25th percentile, about $47,480 a year full time $23.74
  5. Starting out 10th percentile, about $45,600 a year full time $22.80

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 insulators train

1 Southfield

Requirements

What the training centers ask for

  • Insulators Local 25

    Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25

    Age
    18 before you start work
    School
    High school diploma or GED (seniors can bring transcripts)
    Driver's license
    A valid state driver's license
    Test
    An aptitude test, an in-person interview and a pre-hire drug screen
    Length
    Four years of classes, one evening a week for four hours
    How to apply, on the center's own site

County by county

Heat and frost insulation apprenticeships in each county

How to apply

How to become a insulator apprentice

  1. Check the requirements

    Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25: 18 before you start work; high school diploma or GED (seniors can bring transcripts); A valid state driver's license.

    Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25 requirements

  2. Take the entry test

    An aptitude test, an in-person interview and a pre-hire drug screen

    How Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25 tests

  3. Apply in the window

    Union programs take applications in set windows. Watch the training center's own site and apply early.

    Apply at Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25

  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

    Four years of classes, one evening a week for four hours.

    Heat and frost insulation apprenticeships

Outlook

Jobs for insulators in the next ten years

Michigan expects 920 insulators by 2034 (up 2.4% from 2024), with about 70 openings a year as people retire and move on. Nationally, BLS projects up 5.1% from 2025 to 2035; it lists apprenticeship as the usual training.

Sponsors

Registered heat and frost insulation sponsors in Metro Detroit

  • Asbestos Workers Southfield Union

Other trades

Compare another trade

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Keep going

Careers, jobs and training

Questions

What people ask

How much do insulators make in Metro Detroit?

The median is $28.30 an hour ($58,860 a year) in Michigan, from $22.80 at the 10th percentile to $39.54 at the 90th (BLS, May 2025).

How long is a insulator apprenticeship?

The Department of Labor's registered insulator standards run 3,900 to 10,000 hours of on-the-job learning, 2 to 5 years, plus classes.

Where do insulators train near Detroit?

Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25 (Insulators Local 25) in Southfield.

How many heat and frost insulation apprenticeship programs are there?

RAPIDS lists 1 registered sponsors based in the six counties: Oakland County 1.

What do I need to apply?

Heat and Frost Insulators Local 25: 18 before you start work; high school diploma or GED (seniors can bring transcripts); A valid state driver's license.

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.