A journeyman (or journey-level worker) is a skilled tradesperson who has completed a formal apprenticeship program (typically 3 to 5 years and 6,000 to 10,000 hours of on-the-job training plus classroom instruction) and is qualified to perform trade work independently. The term is most rigorously applied in regulated trades: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, sheet metal, sprinkler fitter. Many states require a journeyman license to perform certain scopes without a master tradesperson on site.
The career ladder in regulated trades runs apprentice → journeyman → master. Apprentices work under direct supervision. Journeymen work independently but typically under a master's license for licensed work. Masters hold the licenses contractors actually pull permits under. Journeyman wage rates in commercial work are set by collective bargaining (union) or by Davis-Bacon prevailing wage determinations on federal projects. Journeyman labor is typically the largest line item on commercial trade-contractor labor budgets.