Once UA members complete their five-year apprenticeships, they become full-fledged journeymen. However, their education in the trade is by no means over at this point. In fact, United Association members are very serious about pursuing lifelong training and most of them take advantage of the many opportunities they have to update and expand their skills.

Certification is the wave of the future in the piping industry. With the increasingly complex and challenging work that must be done by the modern pipe mechanic, it is almost required that craftsmen seek some form of official validation of their skills. In addition to the considerable prestige and knowledge that comes with being a UA journeyman, UA members can also pursue these certifications in a variety of specialized areas.

UA Certification Programs include valve repair, medical gas installation, welding, refrigerant handling, industrial rigging, UA/MCA foreman, geo thermal, green awareness, and instrumentation. Each of these programs rely on third party validation for an objective evaluation and testing of our members' skills and abilities.

The United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, Sprinkler Fitters and HVACR Technicians provide training and certification in Green Awareness and Environmental Sustainability for its members, the mechanical piping and service trades workforce.

The program has been developed in conjunction with HVAC Excellence, Green Mechanical Council and Ferris State University. It is designed to educate participants on the specification, purchase, application, installation and servicing of energy efficient products. The program can also be used as a pre-requisite to additional training of new sustainable technologies and concepts as they emerge. Upon successful completion of the first class and assessment in the "Green" program, participants receive a Green Awareness Certification that attests to their knowledge of the emerging concepts, terminology, systems and products that are considered “Green”. Additional training is being developed to support our society's move into the new energy conservation mindset of the future.

The UA already has dozens of trained instructors who are qualified to teach the “green awareness course” in the UA’s 300 training facilities nationwide. Green awareness training will now be included in apprenticeship training programs to assure that the UA’s skilled workers are on the cutting edge of new technologies and environmentally savvy. The UA currently has a “green” training trailer which makes it possible to bring hands-on training to various areas of the country.

The United Association and their contractor partners, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) had previously announced joint initiatives to develop several programs to assist members and the public in understanding and supporting sustainable practices in the construction and the service and maintenance of buildings of mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. The UA, along with its partner organizations, believe that a highly trained technical and environmentally responsible workforce is absolutely necessary to maintain a competitive global advantage.

The United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, Sprinkler Fitters and HVACR Technicians provide training and certification in Green Awareness and Environmental Sustainability for its members, the mechanical piping and service trades workforce.

Educating the instructors who will teach in local union training programs is just as important to the UA's training efforts as is the apprentice and journeyman training that they will provide to others. UA instructors must be kept abreast of any technological changes, such as the newest methods and latest equipment, as well as any codes and regulations that affect what they teach UA members in their home locals.

The United Association has developed a well-respected and highly-effective college accredited program of instructor education consisting of five one-week sessions over a period of five years which dates back to 1954.

The United Association owns a number of mobile facilities equipped to train our members in various locations across the United States and Canada. Even if a local union does not have the necessary equipment for a particular program, we can get those members the training they need to succeed in the field. In the United Association, we have found ways to get all of our members trained to the very highest levels of their profession whether in the biggest local union in the biggest city or the smallest local covering a more remote, rural area.