For Evan Thomas, apprenticeship isn’t just a training model—it’s a life-changing opportunity.
“Apprenticeship is the opportunity to not only gain a livable wage and take care of yourself,” Evan says, “it’s also a great start to a rewarding and profitable career.”
Today, Evan teaches advanced manufacturing and machining at the Pierce County Skill Center. But his journey into the trades didn’t begin in a traditional shop class or with a clear career plan. Like many students, Evan didn’t see manufacturing as an option early on.
Discovering a Different Way to Learn
When Evan was in high school, shop classes were available—but they didn’t feel accessible or relevant at the time.
“My friends weren’t taking them,” he explains. “I didn’t think it was something for me.”
That perspective changed when Evan encountered AJAC’s apprenticeship program in 2012. For the first time, he realized how he learned best.
“It was the first time in my life that I learned I’m a visual, hands-on learner,” Evan says. Traditional classroom math had never clicked, but when those same concepts were applied on the shop floor—measuring parts, setting up machines, solving real problems—they suddenly made sense.
Once Evan saw that these skills could translate into a real career, his interest and motivation took off.
Building Skills—and a Career—Through Apprenticeship
Evan went on to complete AJAC’s machinist apprenticeship, graduating in 2017. The program didn’t just help him find a job—it helped him find work he was passionate about.
Apprenticeship exposed Evan to projects that went far beyond the walls of a classroom or shop. In 2018, while working as an apprentice at Machinists Inc., Evan had the opportunity to machine gears used in the renovation of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle.
“Those parts will be on the Space Needle for the next 100 years,” he says.
For Evan, that experience cemented the impact of his work. The skills he developed through apprenticeship weren’t just earning him a paycheck—they were contributing to projects that shape the world around us.
“It’s a legacy I’ll leave for my family,” Evan says. “And it was all provided by the opportunity AJAC offered me.”
Paying It Forward as an Instructor
Now, Evan brings his journey full circle as an instructor, teaching the next generation of manufacturing students. Having spent years as an AJAC apprentice himself, he understands the challenges students face—and the potential they may not yet see in themselves.
By sharing his experience and teaching hands-on skills, Evan helps students discover what he once did: that learning doesn’t look the same for everyone, and that a career in manufacturing can be both meaningful and lasting.
Evan’s story is a reminder of what apprenticeship can do—not just for individuals, but for families, communities, and industries.
