Arkansas Construction Education Foundation

What Arkansas Construction Education Foundation does

Arkansas Construction Education Foundation (ACEF) is a private nonprofit workforce development organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The organization delivers registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training across 12 construction trades — including carpentry, concrete finishing, diesel mechanics, electrical, HVAC, heavy equipment operation, ironworking, masonry, millwright, plumbing, sprinkler fitting, and welding — through in-person evening classes at 10+ locations statewide (Little Rock, Jonesboro, Jacksonville, Russellville, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Conway, Morrilton, Springdale, and Batesville) and online/virtual delivery that includes Spanish-language electrical content. ACEF has trained more than 15,000 Arkansas residents since founding and operates under NCCER accreditation with DOL-recognized registered apprenticeship credentials.

ACEF operates a two-sided labor-market model. On the supply side, it serves three primary segments: high school students (free pre-apprenticeships with tool packages and school credit), career changers and adult learners (1–4 year earn-while-you-learn registered apprenticeships), and licensed tradespeople seeking continuing education (NEC code updates, OSHA 10/30, NCCER safety credentials, fall protection, blueprint reading, first aid/CPR). On the demand side, ACEF connects graduates with a network of 400+ contractor employers statewide, formalized through a 2017 partnership with AGC Arkansas (Associated General Contractors). Named employer customers include Northwest Control Systems, Hydco, Vertiv, Jordan Long Electric, Chapman Service, and Kevin Cook Electric, spanning electrical, HVAC, framing, heavy equipment, and controls work. Pricing is freemium — free pre-apprenticeships for high school students, with adult apprenticeship and continuing education pricing varying by trade and not publicly disclosed.

The organization is in a significant capital expansion phase. Its Building Tomorrow campaign has raised approximately $6–8 million toward an 11-acre dedicated construction campus at 4001 Pratt Remmel Road in Little Rock, scheduled to open Summer 2026 with modern classrooms, hands-on labs, and a Diesel and Heavy Equipment Operator Training Center. Additional funding includes a $1,000,000 grant from the Arkansas Division of Higher Education dated 2024-11-14. Operating revenue, headcount (11–50), and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed, consistent with its nonprofit status. Strategic partnerships extend to state agencies (Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, Arkansas Office of Skills Development) and industry associations (Independent Alliance of the Electrical Industry, American Concrete Pavement Association, Arkansas Asphalt and Pavement Association, ADEC). Leadership is led by Executive Director Zach Sloan alongside a small management team including Finance/Workforce Development Director Donnie King, Communications Director Hannah Gordon, and Safety/Training Director Shannon Frieri.

Name

Arkansas Construction Education Foundation

Legal name

Arkansas Construction Education Foundation

Website

https://myacef.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arkansas Construction Education Foundation is a Little Rock-based nonprofit that delivers NCCER-accredited registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training across 12 construction trades to high school students, adult learners, and contractors across Arkansas, connecting graduates with a 400+ employer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Trade Education and Workforce Development Training

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education & Training Providers (EDABALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH)

Keywords

• Construction apprenticeship training
• Skilled trades workforce development
• NCCER accredited programs
• Construction craft education
• Pre-apprenticeship high school

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Apprenticeship and Training Programs: ACEF provides registered apprenticeship training and continuing education programs for skilled trades. Students attend classes while working for employers, and ACEF connects graduates with job opportunities across Arkansas's construction industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACEF delivers NCCER-accredited construction-trade training across 12 registered apprenticeship programs (Carpentry, Concrete, Diesel Mechanics, Electrical, HVAC, Heavy Equipment Operations, Ironworking, Masonry, Millwright, Plumbing, Sprinkler Fitting, Welding), free pre-apprenticeship programs for high school students, and continuing education/safety training for licensed craft workers. Its graduates are placed with a network of 400+ Arkansas contractor employers.

Product overview

Arkansas Construction Education Foundation (ACEF) is a workforce development organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of trade apprenticeship programs and educational services. The core offering consists of 12 registered apprenticeship programs (Carpentry, Concrete, Diesel Mechanics, Electrical, HVAC, Heavy Equipment Operation, Ironworking, Masonry, Millwright, Plumbing, Sprinkler Fitting, and Welding) that combine classroom instruction with paid on-the-job training. Supporting these are 3 pre-apprenticeship programs for high school students, continuing education and safety training courses (OSHA, NCCER, First Aid/CPR), and a major infrastructure initiative—the Building Tomorrow Construction Campus (opening 2026). ACEF partners with AGC Arkansas and over 400 contractors statewide to connect graduates with employment. The organization has trained over 15,000 Arkansans since 1994.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Registered Apprenticeship Programs (12 Trades) Multi-year NCCER-accredited registered apprenticeships in 12 construction trades, combining classroom instruction with on-the-job learning at sponsoring employers. Targeted at adult learners and high-school graduates seeking skilled-trade careers in Arkansas; graduates earn portable NCCER credentials and are placed via the 400+ contractor employer network.
• Pre-Apprenticeship Programs for High School Students Free introductory construction-trade training for Arkansas high school students, designed as a no-cost on-ramp into the registered apprenticeship programs. Targeted at students exploring skilled-trade careers and schools seeking CTE-aligned career pathways.
• Continuing Education and Safety Training Ongoing safety, code-update, and license-renewal training for licensed electricians, plumbers, and other craft workers. Targeted at Arkansas construction-industry professionals who need to maintain NCCER and state-level credentials.
• NCCER Credentialing and Certification Issuance of NCCER credentials to apprentices and craft workers completing ACEF programs, providing portable, industry-recognized certifications accepted nationally. Targeted at apprentices, contractors, and employer partners who require verifiable craft credentials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000+ Arkansas residents trained since 1994
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AGC Arkansas (Associated General Contractors of Arkansas)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017In 2017, ACEF signed a formal partnership with AGC Arkansas to collaborate on workforce development, designing and delivering pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs that help contractors recruit, train, and retain qualified workers. AGC Arkansas supports ACEF by facilitating employer participation, industry connections, and expanding training access statewide.
• Independent Alliance of the Electrical IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner supporting electrical trade training programs and apprenticeship development in Arkansas.
• American Concrete Pavement AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association supporting concrete and pavement trade training initiatives.
• Arkansas Asphalt and Pavement AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner supporting asphalt and paving trade workforce development.
• Arkansas Division of Workforce ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState workforce agency partner supporting workforce development initiatives and connecting ACEF with employment services.
• Arkansas Office of Skills DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency supporting skills development and training programs across Arkansas industries.
• ADECminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner supporting ACEF's workforce development mission.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): NCCER is the national nonprofit that accredits and provides the standardized craft curriculum ACEF uses across its 12 trades. The two are tightly coupled — NCCER sets the credentials, and ACEF delivers the instruction and assessment to trainees statewide in Arkansas.
• Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC): IEC is a national trade association running its own registered electrical apprenticeship programs in competition with ACEF's electrical track. Both serve the same employer base of merit-shop contractors and compete for apprentice recruitment in overlapping geographies.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): ABC runs craft training and apprenticeship programs for construction trades nationally. It is one of the closest private-sector analogs to ACEF's craft-training model, and ACEF's partner AGC Arkansas is the union-side counterpart to ABC, intensifying direct competition for apprenticeship signups.
• Home Builders Institute (HBI): HBI is a national nonprofit providing pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training in residential construction trades. It targets many of the same learner segments as ACEF (high school pre-apprentices, career changers) and competes for the same federal workforce-development funding pools.
• National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) / IBEW NTI: NECA's joint apprenticeship programs with IBEW (through the National Training Institute) are the dominant union-side electrical apprenticeship pipeline. They compete with ACEF for electrical apprentice signups in Arkansas and offer alternative pathways to journeyman credentials.
• United Association (UA) of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Service Techs: UA runs the largest network of union plumbing, pipefitting, and HVAC service apprenticeships in the U.S. It competes directly with ACEF's plumbing, sprinkler fitting, and HVAC apprenticeship programs for new entrants and contractor sponsorship.

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln Tech: Lincoln Tech is a for-profit, multi-campus career college offering trades training (HVAC, electrical, welding, plumbing). It overlaps heavily with ACEF's program mix but is tuition-driven, multi-state, and not apprenticeship-anchored.
• Tulsa Welding School: Tulsa Welding School is a for-profit specialty training provider for welding and industrial trades, with comparable short-format training outputs to ACEF's welding apprenticeship. It competes for the same prospective welders, particularly those seeking faster, alternative pathways.

Regional players

• Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) system: TCAT operates a statewide network of public technical colleges with similar construction-trades programs. As a Tennessee neighbor to Arkansas, it represents the most directly comparable state-funded vocational training model for the trades ACEF serves.

Others

• East Arkansas Community College (EACC): EACC is already a partner campus hosting ACEF apprenticeship classes in Forrest City, AR, and offers its own technical training. Its overlapping CTE programs and physical site co-tenancy make it a tight operational peer in ACEF's geographic service area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ACEFAdmin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arkansas-construction-education-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/my_acef
• Xx.com/my_acef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Arkansas Construction Education Foundation