Careers
Building Trades
Plumbers & Pipefitters
Building Trades Apprenticeship Program
Today’s plumbers are essential to the health and safety of our community. Although unclogging drains and installing appliances is still part of the job, they’re increasingly performing more complex and specialized work using the best technology available in the industry. Plumbers work to install and maintain domestic water systems for clean drinking water, sanitary waste and ventilating systems, wastewater treatment, backflow prevention, water main distribution systems and more.
Pipefitters are highly skilled tradespeople who fabricate, install and maintain complex piping in a variety of mechanical systems in commercial and industrial settings, like hospitals, pharmaceutical facilities and manufacturing. Their work involves high-pressure systems that use materials such as carbon, stainless steel and other alloys essential to the operation of many sensitive and sophisticated projects.
At Local 525, plumbing and pipefitting apprentices are part of our Building Trades Apprenticeship Program, receiving a minimum of 8,500 on-the-job hours and 1,230 hours of classroom-related instruction.
During your first year in the program, you’ll become familiar with as many aspects of our trade as possible so you can hit the ground running on the jobsite. You’ll go over safety, use and care of tools, recognition of pipes, fittings and valves, trade-related math and science, rigging, blueprint reading, soldering, brazing and basic electricity. Subsequent years will expand more in-depth in five main areas: water supply, drainage, plumbing fixtures, gas installations and drawing/blueprint reading. Welding is introduced during your third year, refrigeration and HVAC principals and systems in your fourth year and a special emphasis on plumbing techniques and code applications round out the program.
From residential homes to commercial properties and megaprojects, our plumbing and pipefitting apprentices are working on some of the most ambitious projects in Las Vegas. And as UA-trained plumbing professionals, we’re up to the challenge of helping shape our city’s infrastructure (and future) by providing the highest quality and meeting the highest standards.
Do You Have What it Takes? Apply Online
Yes! Local 525 offers a fully-funded apprenticeship program, provided the candidate complies with the terms of the apprenticeship. Our five-year program is the equivalent of a $45,000 education!
No, although the work experience you gain as a helper earns valuable points on your application (one year as a plumber/pre-apprentice equals 2 points).
Helpers perform manual labor jobs, which can include delivering parts to jobsites, digging ditches, driving forklifts, sorting tools and general cleanup. If you have a valid driver’s license, Social Security card and current OSHA-10 card, you can be a helper. There is a fee of $10/month to stay on the out-of-work list, and you must visit the union hall in person to sign up.
The application window typically opens in July and is rolling throughout the year. Once a potential candidate has submitted his or her complete application, they can reasonably expect to be contacted mid-Spring to become part of our system and move forward in the application process. Interviews happen in May/June each year.
Allegiant Stadium
we build las vegas, NV
Opened in 2020, Allegiant Stadium is the home field of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. The facility features 65,000 seats, a retractable natural turf field, a translucent roof and walls that open to spectacular views of the Strip. To complete the $1.97 billion project, nearly 1,100 local apprentices were utilized in the completion of this $1.97 billion project, giving them valuable on-the-job learning opportunities.
Brightline West
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Brightline West will be America’s first true high-speed passenger rail system. The modern, eco-friendly system will redefine train travel in America and connect two of our country’s most iconic destinations: Las Vegas and Southern California. Construction is expected to take about four years with service beginning in 2028.
Sphere at The Venetian
we build las vegas, nv
One of the most talked-about venues in the world, Sphere at The Venetian is the next generation of Las Vegas entertainment. This revolutionary, fully immersive cinematic, musical and entertainment experience was created by combining centuries-old mathematical formulas with 22nd century engineering and technology.
FONTAINEBLEAU
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At 68 stories, Fontainebleau Las Vegas is the second-tallest structure in Nevada, just under the Stratosphere observation tower. This ultra-luxurious, $3.7 Billion resort stretches across 25 acres of the North Vegas Strip, with 3,780 rooms, a 150,000 square-foot casino, 90,000 square-foot of luxury retail space, a high-tech nightclub and more inside.
RESORTS WORLD
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When it opened to the public in June 2021, Resorts World became the first completely new casino resort built on the Vegas Strip in more than a decade. The 90-acre, $4.3 Billion Resorts World complex offers some 3,500 luxury hotel rooms by Hilton, Crockfords and Conrad, a 104,000-square-foot casino floor, several cutting-edge entertainment venues and so much more.
TRAINING CENTER
state-of-the-art
facilities
At Local 525, we’re proud to be at the forefront of training excellence — and have been for more than a century. Our state-of-the-art training center, which was rebuilt and opened in 2020.
