By Pete Wurdock
Across America, more students are choosing the trades over traditional four-year degrees, and the value of skilled workers—plumbers, electricians, welders—is clearer than ever. In Luce County, Aaron Weller is putting that belief into practice with a vision that could help keep the area’s best and brightest from leaving home.
Weller’s path began in 2000 when he earned an associate’s degree in welding from Ferris State, followed by a bachelor’s in Career and Technical Education. When no jobs opened downstate, he took a teaching position at Tahquamenon Area Schools in 2002, where trades classes were thriving with full rosters.
After six years in the classroom, he launched his own welding shop in McMillan, gaining a reputation for quality work, especially with seasonal residents and the DNR—and occasionally employing his former students.
“Welding is a skill you can’t pick up from a YouTube video,” he said. “People don’t always think about it until they need it.”
By 2015, Weller was teaching welding at Newberry Correctional Facility. “I worked with men from 18 to 60,” he said. “Some were brilliant, while others struggled with basic shapes. Teaching trades isn’t a one-size-fits-all process.”
The graduates left with a nationally accredited certification from the National Center for Construction, Education and Research, an essential step for inmates nearing release to find meaningful work and reintegrate into society.
While he valued the experience, Weller missed hands-on work. “There’s a satisfaction in building something, stepping back, and saying, ‘Look what we did today!” he said. America is a nation that is always growing and building, and demand for these jobs remains consistent.
Now, he’s channeling that energy into opening the area’s first dedicated welding school. He recently purchased a building in McMillan, where he’s remodeling while continuing freelance jobs. His goal: partner with local schools to offer real-world training that leads to certification and, more importantly, opportunity.
“We need to stop exporting our youth,” he said. “Kids are growing up here, then leaving because there are no opportunities. I want to give them the skills to build something of their own: businesses, companies, futures.”
Weller hopes to open within 1–2 years, with accreditation through OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency responsible for ensuring safe and healthful working conditions for workers. The timing aligns with statewide support for trades education, though Luce County’s vocational funding is currently funneled through an external Intermediate School District.
“The money’s there,” he said. “But until something’s in place locally, it sits unused.”
Weller is determined to change that. As he embarks on this new journey he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and likes to remind people: “Learning a trade will change your life and open doors.”
