Finishing a trade program in Texas?

Certifications you can earn in school

Texas schools get credit when students earn certifications on the state's list, so your program may pay for the test. These are the ones for trades on this site. A few are real Texas licenses.

• “The purpose of the IBC list is to identify certifications that prepare students for success in the workforce, military, or postsecondary education.” TEA ↗

• For any trade: Core (NCCER), the basics most NCCER programs start with.
• The EPA 608 refrigerant card leaves the schools' list after August 2026, but you still need it to work on air conditioning: HVAC career path.
• OSHA 10 isn't on the list. Many employers ask for it anyway: see below.
• Names as TEA writes them on its 2025-2030 list ↗. Pay: Texas median from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jobs you can take at 18, and before

Some trade work is off-limits until you're 18: driving on the job, power woodworking machines, hoists and cranes, metal forming and shearing machines, power saws and abrasive cutting discs, wrecking and demolition, roofing, excavation and trenches (the full federal list ↗). Apprentices and students in approved programs can do some of it at 16 or 17.

• “The FLSA establishes an 18-year minimum age for those nonagricultural occupations that the Secretary of Labor finds and declares to be particularly hazardous for 16- and 17-year-old minors, or detrimental to their health or well-being.” U.S. Dept. of Labor ↗
• “The regulations provide a limited exemption from HOs 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17 for apprentices and student-learners who are at least 16 years of age and enrolled in approved programs.” U.S. Dept. of Labor ↗
• “A high school graduate may be employed in an occupation in which he has completed training as provided in this paragraph as a student-learner, even though he is not yet 18 years of age.” eCFR ↗
• “with an eligible starting age not less than 16 years” eCFR ↗
• “Intrastate: Minimum age for a CDL is 18” Texas DPS ↗
• “Interstate: Minimum age for a CDL is 21” Texas DPS ↗

Many apprenticeship programs still ask for 18 and a diploma or GED. Each program's page on Apprenticeships says what it asks for.

OSHA 10: what it is and isn't

• “Although some states, municipalities or others may require outreach training as a condition of employment, it is not an OSHA requirement.” OSHA ↗
• “Students receive an OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour course completion card at the end of the training.” OSHA ↗
• “None of the courses within the Outreach Training Program is considered a certification.” OSHA ↗

Ask your teacher first: many school programs include it. If yours doesn't, only an OSHA-authorized trainer can give the card, in a class or online. OSHA's list of authorized online trainers ↗ includes CareerSafe ↗, for one. Be careful with anyone who promises a card fast or a job with it.

What getting started costs, and who pays

An apprenticeship pays you while you learn, though programs may charge an application fee and tuition. A school or course costs money, but grants and scholarships can cover a lot of it.

• “It's money from the federal government that helps you pay for college, career school, trade school, or graduate school expenses.” Federal Student Aid ↗
• “Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid.” Federal Student Aid ↗

• Registered apprenticeships

  U.S. Department of Labor and the Texas Workforce Commission

  An apprenticeship is a paid job with classes. Texas helps pay for the classes, but programs may still charge an application fee, tuition or books.

  See apprenticeships in Texas →

• Austin Electrical Training Alliance

  Austin Electrical Training Alliance

  An example of what a union apprenticeship costs and pays: $21.07 an hour to start, a $35 application fee, and tuition announced before classes start.

  See the program ↗

• Employer-sponsored apprenticeships

  ABC South Texas

  In non-union (merit shop) programs, you're hired by a contractor first, and the contractor usually pays the school's tuition.

  See an example: ABC South Texas ↗

• Workforce Pell

  Office of the Texas Governor

  Federal student aid for short-term programs. Texas's first approved programs include HVAC and machining at Weatherford College, welding at Texas Southmost College and electric power technology at Kilgore College. Ask the college's financial aid office how to apply.

  See the approved programs ↗

• Work Ethic Scholarship

  the mikeroweWORKS Foundation

  A scholarship for trade school programs of two years or less. You'll need a tuition bill from your school, a short video and references.

  We're not connected with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation. Apply on their site.

  Read the rules and apply ↗

• TSTC Money-Back Guarantee

  Texas State Technical College

  Not money up front: if you finish an eligible TSTC program and have no job offer within six months, TSTC refunds your tuition.

  See who qualifies ↗

Union fees and dues differ by local, so ask the hall: union halls by city. More ways to pay, by city: Pay for training.

Your first job: what to bring

On your first day you fill out Form I-9 and show who you are and that you can work in the U.S.

• “Employees may present one selection from List A or a combination of one selection from List B and one selection from List C.” USCIS ↗
• “U.S. Social Security card that is unrestricted. The card must not be laminated.” USCIS ↗

List A is, for example, a U.S. passport. Most people bring a List B and a List C document: a driver's license or state ID, plus a Social Security card (so don't laminate yours).

Also worth having

• Steel-toe boots, and the basic hand tools the job post lists
• A way to get to the job site every day, often early in the morning
• A phone number you answer, so the employer can reach you
• Copies of your certificates and any license