Harmel Academy of the Trades

What Harmel Academy of the Trades does

Harmel Academy of the Trades is a private, non-profit Catholic residential trade school founded in 2020 and located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving young Catholic men seeking an alternative to a four-year college. The institution delivers a two-year program: a mandatory first-year "Foundations of Skilled Stewardship" residential course covering nine skilled trades (automotive, CAD and additive manufacturing, carpentry, construction, electrical, HVAC, machining, plumbing, small engine repair) combined with the proprietary "God and Man at Work" humanities curriculum, daily Divine Office prayer, Mass, and spiritual formation. Year two offers apprenticeship and certification tracks toward journeyman's cards in machining, millwright, tool and die moldmaking, electrical, building, and welding, structured around 576 hours of related technical instruction and 4,000-8,000 on-the-job hours at partnering Michigan manufacturers and contractors.

The business model combines tuition and fees ($24,750 annually per student at $6,575 tuition, $4,500 room and board, $1,300 fees per semester) with private donations routed through qgiv and GiveCampus, plus an in-kind subsidy from local employers who hire students as paid apprentices for 20-30 hours per week. Only US citizens are admitted, and applications open July 1 with rolling admissions. The go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, leveraging the Working Man Podcast, Catholic press coverage (National Catholic Register, Catholic World Report, Plough), social channels, campus tours, and an admissions manager ("The Porter") running phone interviews and faculty discernment conversations. Recruitment spans 12-25 US states.

The academy operates from the Browne Center at Aquinas College following a May 2025 relocation, with a planned 2025-26 enrollment of 25-30 students and a faculty/staff team of fewer than 15, governed by a Board chaired by Michael Preston of Micron Manufacturing. It is not equity-backed; revenue is undisclosed and relies on tuition plus fundraising, the latter now led by a dedicated Director of Advancement appointed in 2024. Rob Willsea, a retired USMC Colonel with 30+ years of executive experience across manufacturing and workforce development, was appointed as the institution's first CEO in July 2026, signaling a transition from founder-led operation to professionally managed scale-up.

Name

Harmel Academy of the Trades

Legal name

Harmel Academy of the Trades

Website

https://harmelacademy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Harmel Academy of the Trades is a Catholic residential trade school in Grand Rapids, Michigan that trains young men in nine skilled trades alongside a proprietary humanities and spiritual formation curriculum, with revenue from tuition and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade and Vocational Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Skilled trades training
• Catholic vocational education
• Residential trade school
• Apprenticeship programs
• Humanities formation

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids, MI

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Residential Catholic trade school charging tuition, room and board, and fees. Students work 20-30 hours per week to earn money that can offset program costs. No government financial aid mentioned; school relies on private funding and donor scholarships.
2. Student Employment Integration: Students work part-time at local collaborating employers (manufacturers, contractors, trades companies) earning apprentice wages while completing their trade education, effectively subsidizing their education costs through employment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Harmel Academy of the Trades is a residential Catholic post-secondary academy that trains men in skilled trades while forming them in the Catholic faith. The program combines a first-year Foundations of Skilled Stewardship curriculum covering nine trades (automotive, CAD/additive manufacturing, carpentry, construction, electrical, HVAC, machining, plumbing, small engine repair) with the proprietary "God and Man at Work" humanities cycle and daily spiritual formation. Second-year students specialize in registered apprenticeship tracks (machinist, millwright, tool & die moldmaker, electrician journeyman, builder, welder) leading to industry certifications and journeyman's cards.

Product overview

Harmel Academy of the Trades is a residential Catholic trade school offering an integrated educational model combining skilled trades training with humanities curriculum and spiritual formation. The core offering includes a mandatory first-year Foundations of Skilled Stewardship (FSS) Program covering nine trades disciplines, followed by specialized second-year apprenticeship and certification tracks in Manufacturing Trades (Machinist, Machine Builder/Millwright, Tool & Die Moldmaker), Building Trades (Electrician Journeyman, Builder License), and Welding & Fabrication. All students complete the God and Man at Work humanities curriculum, spiritual formation including daily prayer and weekly Mass, and LifeSkill seminars. The institution also produces the Working Man Podcast as community content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foundations of Skilled Stewardship (FSS) Program First-year mandatory residential program that introduces men to nine skilled trades disciplines (automotive, CAD & additive manufacturing, carpentry, construction, electrical, HVAC, machining, plumbing, and small engine repair) combined with humanities and spiritual formation, leading to specialization in a second-year track.
• Machine & Systems Technology (MST) Program Second-year apprenticeship-based program preparing students for machining, millwright, or manufacturing technician careers, with emphasis on PLCs, CAD/CAM, welding, and mechanical systems.
• Machine Builder (Millwright) Apprenticeship Track
• Tool & Die Moldmaker Apprenticeship Track
• Electrician Journeyman Track Eight-semester apprenticeship program preparing students for electrical journeyman certification, covering electrical theory, circuits, wiring methods, control systems, and electrical codes.
• Builder Certification Program Building trades certification program preparing students to take the State of Michigan licensed builder exam, covering blueprints, framing, roofing, siding, and interior trim.
• Welding & Fabrication Certification Program Certification preparation program for welding and metal fabrication, covering MIG, TIG, and arc welding techniques with preparation for industry certification tests.
• God and Man at Work Humanities Curriculum Four-semester integrated humanities cycle combining philosophy, theology, literature, and study of work for all students, delivered using the Socratic method and oral disputation.
• Spiritual Formation Program Catholic spiritual formation program including daily Divine Office prayer (Lauds, Vespers, Compline), weekly Mass, confession, spiritual direction, and parish life integration.
• LifeSkill Seminars Practical life stewardship seminars covering auto maintenance, budgeting, cooking, home buying, insurance, and virtuous dating, designed to prepare men for post-graduation life.
• Working Man Podcast Podcast featuring discussions on faith, work, and the skilled trades, available on Apple, Google, and Spotify platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pathway to journeyman's card through registered apprenticeship (8,000 OTJ hours + 576 RTI hours)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Aquinas CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Harmel Academy relocated its campus from Kuyper College to the Browne Center at Aquinas College in 2025. This strategic partnership provides Harmel with an eight-acre property including residential space, staff offices, classrooms, and laboratory space. The move enables significant enrollment increases and program expansions. Part of Aquinas College's broader strategic effort to prioritize campus core investments and serve wider community needs.
• Diocese of Grand Rapids / Bishop David WalkowiakcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBishop Walkowiak provided initial blessing and ongoing support for Harmel Academy since its founding. He has remained one of Harmel's biggest champions, providing episcopal oversight and encouragement as shepherd of the Grand Rapids Diocese. The campus originally operated on property that was the former minor seminary for the diocese.
• Local Manufacturers and Contractors (Unnamed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarmel partners with local Michigan manufacturers, contractors, and trades-based companies who hire students as apprentices. These employers provide on-the-job training (OTJ hours), apprentice wages, and career pathways. Students work 20-30 hours per week at these collaborating shops while completing their education. Advisory committees of local business owners inform program design.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Dorsey College: Michigan-based career college offering skilled-trades and trades-adjacent programs; competes for similar non-traditional students in the same regional labor market.
• IBEW Local 275 (West Michigan Electrical Apprenticeship): Union-sponsored registered apprenticeship in West Michigan for electricians — directly competes with Harmel's Electrician Journeyman Track by offering paid earn-while-you-learn training at no tuition cost.
• MIAT College of Technology: Michigan-based technical college offering HVAC, electrical, welding, and manufacturing programs. Comparable curriculum but for-profit, non-residential, and secular — competes for the same Michigan employer pipeline that places Harmel apprentices.
• Grand Rapids Community College: Local public community college with skilled-trades and workforce-development programs serving the same West Michigan employer base. Represents the most accessible low-cost alternative for the same prospective student pool.

Direct peers

• Lincoln Educational Services: Multi-campus for-profit trade school offering HVAC, electrical, welding, automotive, and machining programs with similar hands-on, credential-focused delivery model and similar student demographic of career-track adults.
• WyoTech: Residential trade school (Wyoming, with relocated/blended campuses) focused on automotive, diesel, welding, and fabrication — overlaps Harmel's residential model and core skilled-trades curricula.
• Universal Technical Institute (UTI): National for-profit technical and trade school training students in automotive, diesel, welding, HVAC, electrical, and machining — directly overlapping Harmel's nine Foundation trades. Both target career-track adults seeking hands-on credentials rather than four-year degrees.

Others

• National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER): Industry-driven credentialing body whose curricula and apprenticeship frameworks underpin much of US trades training. Harmel graduates pursue comparable NCCER-style journeyman pathways and NCCER represents an industry-standard Harmel must align with.

Broad incumbents

• Ferris State University College of Engineering Technology: Michigan public university with HVAC, electrical, and manufacturing programs that graduate into the same West Michigan employer base Harmel serves. Wider portfolio, but overlapping trades credentials.
• Aquinas College: Strategic host-partner for Harmel's Browne Center campus and a Catholic liberal-arts institution. Comparable faith-based identity and overlapping Catholic student-recruitment ecosystem, though focused on traditional four-year degrees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HarmelAcademy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCP7Bdb9O3lROgjBx5RnSzPw
• Facebookfacebook.com/HarmelAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harmel-academy-of-the-trades
• Instagraminstagram.com/harmelacademyofthetrades

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Harmel Academy of the Trades