Arne family creates an all-in-one accelerated trade school
Steve Arne, a longtime teacher of an electrical program, vividly remembers his students being frustrated about taking English courses.
“They didn’t want to take English, psychology, or underwater basketing weaving,” Steve chuckled. “They wanted to focus on the actual hands-on experience of the electrical trade.”
Steve, who retired from his position in 2003, and his son Ryan, who at age 14 earned his electrical apprentice license, have more than 80 years of combined experience in the electrical industry. They are now using their years of knowledge in their own school, AETech Electrical Training Center. The institution offers a four-month training program, journeyman and contractor exam prep courses, and continuing education classes.
During the 1970s and ’80s, vocational schools focused on the core programs, Steve said. As time went on, however, institutions began incorporating general education and more theory-based courses so students could earn an associate degree, he said.
Not all students benefited from the change.
Ryan said those general education courses deterred some students from going to school.
A Different Approach
AETech turns the focus back to the trade.
“We are the only program in the United States that does it eight hours a day, 40 hours a week with no general education classes,” Ryan said. “It is 100 percent electrical.”
Shortly after retiring, Steve started AETech part-time in a small 700-square-foot office space providing industry-direct training specializing in continuing education electrical code classes and exam preparation. From 2002 to 2014, Steve also served as the technical editor for Mike Holt, the author of the books he uses in his classes.
In 2012, after 13 years working in the field in California, Ryan moved home, and the duo expanded their offerings to include the 640-hour full-time apprentice electrician training program.
Ryan moved back in July, and the first 12-student class started that September. “I came up with this idea after seeing so many people working 10-hour days and then spending four hours a night in the classroom. They are exhausted. There is no hands-on learning, and it is hard for them to retain the information,” Ryan said. “Some students come out of school with just the theory and can’t jump right into the workforce. I only teach students what they really need to know about electrical theory in the field and then jump right into the hands-on work.”
The AETech program is offered twice a year with a maximum of 12 students. Each student has an individual work stall that mimics a job site. The workspace is torn down and built back by the student. “The smaller classes help students learn better. I have a succinct way of teaching the classes. It is very hands-on, visual, and doing things repeatedly,” he said.
AETech has also had a decade-long partnership with Black Hills Habitat for Humanity, where students get on-the-job experience while giving back to the community.
The program serves a wide variety of people, from students right out of high school to middle-aged men and women looking for a career change as well as from various areas from South Dakota to Texas. AETech offers housing for students who live outside the Black Hills.
The program includes resume-building assistance and connections to area contractors. “I have students do their resumes and then go knocking on doors and shaking hands looking for interviews with contractors,” Ryan said. “We are old school in that respect.”
While AETech students do not qualify for student loans, other funding options exist, including grants through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
A Family Affair
In addition to Steve and Ryan, Deb, Steve’s wife, and Dana, Ryan’s wife, work at AETech. Deb helps with registration and is the program’s ultimate chef, among many other responsibilities, while Dana ensures each state, more than 17 of them, has the proper forms for Steve’s continuing education courses.
Even their 18-year-old dog, Bailey, is there to provide snuggles and emotional support.
The Arne family is dedicated to serving a need and supplying the country with a much-needed, knowledgeable workforce to cover a variety of opportunities in the electrical field, from journeymen and contractors to electrical inspectors and estimators.
“We have definitely had a lot of successes,” Steve said.
This story was originally published in the August 2024 issue of Elevate Magazine.
