Local Union 155

What Local Union 155 does

Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship Training of Arkansas (PPATA) is the Arkansas training arm of United Association Local 155 and operates a registered apprenticeship program covering plumbing, pipefitting, welding, and HVACR trades. Founded on a UA craft training heritage dating to 1944, PPATA was formally constituted in its current form on June 25, 2014 through the merger of three predecessor joint apprenticeship training committees (Greater Little Rock Area JATC, South Arkansas JATC, and Fort Smith JATC). The organization is governed by a board of trustees drawn from both labor and management ranks and operates three full-service training centers in Little Rock, Van Buren, and El Dorado, complemented by three satellite campuses in Helena/West Helena, Jonesboro, and Springdale. Approximately 140-150 apprentices are enrolled at any given time across the five-year program.

The core product is a five-year structured apprenticeship that combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction and is delivered at no monetary cost to apprentices through scholarship funding from employer and union contributions. Curriculum spans Welding, Backflow Prevention Certification, Medical Gas Training and Certification, OSHA 10/30, CFC Training and Licensing, and Valve Repair, with PPATA also administering UA Journeyman Upgrade Training and UA Welder Certification Testing — the organization maintains records of more than 1,600 individual certifications. Revenue derives from joint labor-management contributions rather than student tuition; the only direct apprentice payment is a $25 non-refundable application fee. Recruitment is community-led, channeled through scheduled in-person application pickup events at training centers in March and supported by the ppata.com website and a dedicated phone line. End-users of UA Local 155 dispatch — referring apprentices and journeyworkers to projects — span healthcare (Children's Hospital, St Vincent Hospital), government (Clinton Presidential Library), energy (Arkansas Nuclear One), and industrial fabrication (CB&I Fabrication).

The organization is a private non-profit joint apprenticeship training committee with no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue. Its 15 staff include a Training Director, seven trustees, and seven instructors distributed across the three full-service centers, with Ryan Britton serving as Training Director and primary contact.

Name

Local Union 155

Legal name

Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship Training of Arkansas

Website

https://ppata.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship Training of Arkansas (PPATA) is the Arkansas training arm of United Association Local 155, delivering a scholarship-funded five-year registered apprenticeship program in plumbing, pipefitting, welding, and HVACR to roughly 140-150 apprentices annually across three training centers and three satellite campuses statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Apprenticeship Training

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Pipefitting & Steamfitting (EDAOACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Pipe Welding & Industrial Piping Fabrication Training (EDAOADAB)

Keywords

• Trade apprenticeship training
• Plumbing pipefitting HVACR
• Welder certification testing
• Union journeyman upgrade
• Joint labor management program

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Apprenticeship Training Program: Joint labor-management funded apprenticeship program. The program provides free five-year apprenticeship training to apprentices who receive scholarships covering the entire program duration at no monetary expense to the student. Funding comes from employer/union contributions rather than student tuition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship Training of Arkansas (PPATA), affiliated with Local Union 155, operates a five-year registered apprenticeship program combining paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction for plumbing, pipefitting, welding, and HVACR trades. The program is scholarship-funded at no cost to students, with separate continuing-education modules (welder certification, backflow, medical gas, OSHA, CFC, valve repair) and access to the United Association union referral hall for graduate placement.

Product overview

Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship Training of Arkansas (PPATA) operates as a single unified training organization offering a comprehensive 5-year apprenticeship program that combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction for plumbing, pipefitting, and HVACR professionals. The core program includes UA journeyman upgrade training, UA welder certification testing, and maintains records of over 1,600 certifications. Specialized training modules include welding, backflow prevention certification, medical gas training, OSHA 10/30 certification, CFC training and licensing, and valve repair training. The organization operates three full-service training centers in Little Rock, Van Buren, and El Dorado, with three satellite campuses throughout Arkansas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 5-Year Registered Apprenticeship Program A five-year structured registered apprenticeship combining paid on-the-job training with related classroom instruction across plumbing, pipefitting, welding, and HVACR trades. Funded through scholarships from joint labor-management contributions so students pay no tuition; targets aspiring tradespeople seeking UA journeyman credentials and union membership.
• UA Welder Certification Testing
• UA Journeyman Upgrade Training Continuing education for UA journeyworkers covering welding, backflow prevention certification, Med-Gas training and certification, OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 training and certification, CFC training and licensing, and valve repair. Aimed at licensed journeyworkers seeking additional credentials and recertifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140-150 apprentices typically enrolled at any given time
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Association (UA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPATA is the Arkansas training arm of the United Association, a international union of plumbers, fitters, welders and service technicians. UA provides the apprenticeship curriculum framework, journeyman upgrade training standards, welder certification protocols, and credentialing. The program maintains UA records and conducts all UA welder certification tests.
• Greater Little Rock Area JATC (merged)minorOthersOne of three former joint apprenticeship training committees that merged on June 25, 2014 to form PPATA. Now integrated into the unified PPATA program.
• South Arkansas JATC (merged)minorOthersOne of three former joint apprenticeship training committees that merged on June 25, 2014 to form PPATA. Now integrated into the unified PPATA program.
• Fort Smith JATC (merged)minorOthersOne of three former joint apprenticeship training committees that merged on June 25, 2014 to form PPATA. Now integrated into the unified PPATA program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Universal Technical Institute (UTI): Broad incumbent: A publicly traded provider of technical education including HVAC, welding, and industrial trades. Competitor for prospective trades students; structured as tuition-funded rather than employer-funded, attracting different candidate segments.
• Lincoln Tech: Broad incumbent: A national for-profit technical and trade school network offering HVAC, plumbing, and welding programs. Reaches a national student base with online enrollment and corporate partnerships, competing for adult learners who might otherwise choose a JATC apprenticeship.

Emerging players

• Helmets to Hardhats: Emerging player: A national nonprofit that connects transitioning military members with registered apprenticeship opportunities in the building trades, including plumbing and pipefitting. Competes for the same candidate pipeline and offers an alternative pathway into union-affiliated apprenticeship programs.

Others

• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): Adjacent peer: NCCER establishes and credentials construction trades curricula and certifications used across the industry. Acts as a competing curriculum and credentialing framework to the United Association's apprenticeship standards, with credentials portable across open-shop employers.

Direct peers

• United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Service Techs (UA) Local 211: Direct peer: Another United Association local joint apprenticeship training committee operating a comparable registered apprenticeship program in plumbing, pipefitting, welding, and HVACR trades. UA Locals across the U.S. share curriculum, credentialing, and the hiring hall model that PPATA relies on.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Apprenticeship Programs: Direct peer: ABC operates registered apprenticeship programs that compete directly with UA-affiliated JATCs for apprentices and contractors in the same trades (plumbing, pipefitting, HVAC, welding). ABC apprenticeship is the open-shop alternative to UA's union model.
• UA Local 469 (Plumbers, Pipefitters & Service Techs): Direct peer: Another UA local operating in a neighboring state with a similar apprenticeship and journeyman upgrade training program. Shares the United Association curriculum, journeyman standards, and welder certification framework, providing a benchmark for PPATA's program structure.

Regional players

• Arkansas Construction Trades Academy: Regional peer: An Arkansas-based construction trades training provider serving a similar geographic region with overlapping curriculum in skilled trades. Competes for the same apprentice candidates and contractor relationships in Arkansas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-union-155

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Local Union 155