Program at a Glance!
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Launch your career in one of the skilled trades with our Plumbing Pre-Apprenticeship program. This Continuing Education program provides the foundational knowledge, technical skills, and hands-on training needed to prepare for entry-level employment as a plumbing helper or plumbing assistant and for continued training through a registered apprenticeship. Students will learn construction safety, plumbing tools, blueprint reading, measurements and calculations, piping materials, drainage systems, water distribution systems, plumbing fixtures, and industry best practices through classroom instruction and hands-on lab activities. Throughout the program, students will develop the technical and workplace skills employers value, including communication, professionalism, safety awareness, and problem-solving.
What You'll Learn
After completing this program, learners will be able to:
- Describe the building trades and technology industry and associated career paths
- Identify the professional skills required for success and career advancement in the industry
- Complete basic measuring tasks and math calculations required in the building trades workplace
- Explain the safety procedures and equipment commonly used in the building trades workplace
- Explain the proper use, care, maintenance, and safety considerations for using common hand tools
- Explain the proper use, care, maintenance, and safety considerations for using common power tools
- Identify common rigging equipment and procedures used on a construction site
- Read common construction drawings and plans
- Selecting and properly using personal protective equipment for specific plumbing situations
- Selecting and properly using hand tools, power tools, and other equipment for plumbing tasks
- Understanding and complying with local plumbing codes
- Working safely in different construction and plumbing environments
- Using math concepts to perform plumbing measurements and calculations
- Interpreting plumbing drawings
- Identifying, storing, measuring, cutting, joining, and working safely with plastic, copper, cast-iron, and carbon steel pipes and fittings
- Identifying, installing, maintaining, and repairing different types of plumbing fixtures including sinks, lavatories, faucets, bathtubs, showers, toilets, urinals, bidets, drinking fountains, water coolers, and appliances
- Explaining how waste moves from a fixture through a drain system to the environment
- Explaining the components of a drainage system including traps
- Explaining the process and components of water distribution in municipal, residential, and private water systems
- Understanding health issues, types of code violations, and consequences related to DWV systems
Career Opportunities
Graduates may qualify for entry-level positions such as:
- Plumbing Helper
- Plumbing Assistant
- Apprentice Plumber (with employer sponsorship and registration, as required by Texas law)
- Maintenance Technician Trainee
Certification Opportunities
Students will have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications as offered through the program and may be eligible to sit for applicable certification exams upon successful completion.
Important Information
This Continuing Education program is a pre-apprenticeship designed to prepare students for entry-level employment and continued training in the plumbing industry.
Completion of this program does not result in a Texas plumbing license or authorizing graduates to perform plumbing work independently. Plumbing work in Texas is regulated by state law, and many plumbing occupations require registration, licensure, and supervision by a licensed plumber.
