Plumbing

Program Description

The four-year Plumbing Apprenticeship Program offers the student advantages to prepare them for careers in the plumbing industry. RWU is the only higher education institution in the state with full National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) accreditation. NCCER is a nationally recognized in the construction industry as the training, assessment and certification standard.

This program has been approved by the Department of Labor and Training and exceeds the related education component of the apprenticeship standards.  We provide a total of 700 hours over the four-year program. Students are required to take chapter tests and maintain a 70% average each year of studies. This helps to strengthen test taking abilities in preparation for the journeyperson exam. In addition, students also learn financial literacy, job skills preparation, soft skills, and time management while enrolled in this program.

The RWU Plumbing Apprenticeship Program is unique and prepares students for their next steps. Our key program differentiators include:

• Small class sizes— This model promotes personalized attention from the instructors
• Updated national curriculum— Our curriculum was crafted by NCCER and contains current and the most up to date information on the plumbing trade.
• Quality instructors—Our instructors are amongst the best educators and practitioners in the field. They hold licenses in RI and/or MA
• Top of the line Learning Management System (LMS) and free access to LinkedIn Learning—our LMS platform is intuitive and easy to use.  The course is replete with multimedia resources and 24/7 online tutoring support that aids in student learning. LinkedIn Learning is an additional online learning platform that contains over 5,000 video courses led by experts across business, technology and creative fields that is provided at no cost with your Roger Williams university email address.   

Program Objectives

• Fulfill the state requirements for education clock hours in pursuing the Rhode Island Plumbing Journeypersons Test
• Graduate from a National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) accredited program.
• Receive college credits for life and work experience.
• Gain curriculum to better prepare students for work in the plumbing field.

Program Outcomes 

• Pass the state examination for plumbing
• Full time employment by a plumbing contractor

Textbook and Tools Details

The instructors advise that students purchase printed books, not e-books. You may purchase the books for your class level directly from the publisher at the Pearson webpage.  Be sure to purchase the fifth edition of the book.

You will need the following tools for the school year, and we recommend that you buy the highest qualify you can afford: 

• Adjustable channel lock pliers
• Adjustable wrench (crescent wrench)
• 30’ Tape measure
• Torpedo level
• Box cutter/utility knife
• Hammer
• Multibit screwdriver
• Pipe cutter
• Pipe wrench
• Black sharpie markers

Class Schedule and Location

All in-person classes are held at RWU Extension School, 1 Empire Street, Providence, RI on Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:00pm-9:00pm

Free parking validation for students at the Civic Center Parking Garage, located at 165 Washington Street, Providence, RI 

Please note there is a minimum number of students required to start each class. If that minimum is not met, the class may be canceled or postponed and enrolled students will receive a full refund. 

Industry Apprenticeship Advisory Council (IAAC)

Richard Besser
RWU Faculty
Electrical 

Michael Emmer, Ph.D.
RWU Program Director
Carpentry

William Knight
(retired)
Former SECCM Dean

David Berardinelli
(retired)
Plumbing 

David McMullen
Newport Electric, President 
Electrical 

Dr. Michael Fine
City of Central Falls