By MARISA LORANGER, Staff Reporter.
Jack Lazzaro, a Delta College student, has become the newest recipient of the Michigan Apprenticeship Steering Committee Inc. (MASCI) industrial award. Lazzaro, a Saginaw resident, is a member of UAW Local 699 and an employee at Nexteer Automotive. He is taking his apprentice training at Delta College.
Harvey Schneider, a Skilled Trades Manager at Delta and a board member of MASCI, is very excited that Lazzaro won.
“The neat thing is, is that it’s a Delta student that won. He got his training from us, which makes us very happy,” explained Schneider.
Lazzaro has been a tool and die maker since 2011.
“A tool and die maker sets up and operates a variety of computer-controlled and mechanically-controlled machine tools to produce precision metal parts, instruments, and tools,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
MASCI is a statewide organization that “is an advocacy group made up of professionals from the education industry, manufacturing sector, construction trades and governmental departments of Michigan. MASCI’s objective is to educate Michigan’s workforce and employer groups on the benefits of participation in Registered Apprenticeship,” explained by the MASCI website.
Winners receive a $500 check and a trophy. Lazzaro is the 11th person to win the award. The apprentice must have 8,000 hours of training to be eligible for the award.
All of Lazzaro’s apprentice hours are done and he has two more classes left to take at Delta. At 45 years old, Lazzaro is happy to be at Nexteer and has no plans of leaving after finishing at Delta.
“I really enjoyed getting the award and am happy that I had an opportunity to do this through my work,” said Lazzaro.