Earlier this year, Harmel Academy of the Trades announced its relocation to the Browne Center at Aquinas College, a move that reflects a shared commitment to prayer and study.
As the fall semester begins, the partnership is already creating new opportunities for students to connect in shared spaces like campus grounds, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel, Wege Dining, the library, and our athletic facilities. Even the Aquinas Writing Center has welcomed these young men with open arms.
See the original press release below to learn more about the partnership, as well as Harmel’s mission!
Harmel Academy of the Trades Announces Campus Move
May 7, 2025 – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Harmel Academy of the Trades is moving from its current location on the campus of Kuyper College to the Brown Center at Aquinas College.
Having just completed its fifth year of operation, Harmel Academy is an innovative Catholic community of prayer, work, and study that trains young men in high-demand skilled trades, offers Catholic spiritual formation geared toward working men, and provides a rigorous curriculum of philosophy, literature, and the theology of work.
“We find that the young men who come to us are looking for more than just a credential, a degree, or a career opportunity,” said David Michael Phelps, President of Harmel Academy. “They are looking for a deep purpose in their life, and they’re looking for a community, a brotherhood, of men who locate that meaning in the Gospel. We try to provide a path for them to integrate their faith and their work, a place where they can experience that machines, Aristotle, and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ can and should co-exist.”
Harmel’s residence on the eight-acre property at the Browne Center will not only provide residential space for Harmel students but will also accommodate staff offices, as well as new classroom and lab space, creating a central hub for the community of prayer, work, and study.
The move will also allow for significant increases in enrollments and expansions in programming. Harmel currently offers introductory training across nine trades in the first year of its program, and in subsequent years, apprenticeship-track training for machinists, machine builders, and electricians. It also provides apprenticeship pathways in plumbing and HVAC, and this fall, it is launching a new certification program in welding and fabrication.
“We find that men who have what we call ‘a strong manual genius’ need an educational pathway designed just for them,” said Program Director Kyle McCarthy. “But too often, these young men think they need to choose between trades and college, choose between going to work and getting an education. At Harmel, we strive to show these men that the life of the mind, the Catholic faith, and hard work with your hands can all be part of one, integrated life.”
Aside from their trades training, spiritual formation, and intellectual study, Harmel men also work 18-30 hours a week with local manufacturers, contractors, and other trades-based companies.
Harmel Academy was founded in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. After graduating an initial cohort of six men in 2022, Harmel Academy has grown in number and scope, and this fall, it plans to welcome 25 to 30 men from as many as 17 states around the country.
“Simply put, this move will allow our community of prayer, work, and study to grow, not only in the number of students we serve, but also the number of employers we will be able to provide with skilled, hard-working men of character,” said Phelps. “We think our part to play in the skills trades gap is not only to help fill the gap in the number of workers, but to help fill the gap between faith and work. It’s about mission—forming the next generation of faith-driven tradesmen.”
According to Aquinas College, this decision is part of a broader strategic effort to prioritize investments in its students and the campus core. This includes rethinking how properties on the edge of campus can better serve the needs of the wider community and provide net income to the College. This agreement was made possible by a strategic improvement and relocation plan initiated by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), which has called the Browne Center home since 1988. OLLI will move to the second floor of the Jarecki-Lacks Center on the Aquinas campus.
About Harmel Academy of the Trades
Harmel Academy is a Catholic community of prayer, work, and study where young men are formed in the Gospel of Work to become apprentices to Jesus Christ in and through the skilled trades. Founded in 2020 by two local tradesmen, Ryan Pohl and Brian Black, Harmel Academy is a residential, post-secondary school designed to serve young men looking to be trained in the skilled trades and be formed in their Catholic faith. Above all else, Harmel Academy exists to help the working man develop an understanding of the dignity and adventure of work. Learn more about Harmel Academy: www.harmelacademy.org