Jason Vice: Teaching Apprentices to Build Their Future

For nearly 15 years, Jason Vice has helped shape the next generation of machinists through AJAC. His passion for teaching, lifelong learning, and believing in every apprentice earned him AJAC’s 2026 Instructor of the Year Award.

For more than a decade, Jason Vice has been helping apprentices discover something bigger than machining. He’s helping them discover confidence.

Since joining AJAC in September 2012, Jason has taught nearly every class in the Machinist Apprenticeship program. Along the way, he’s become one of the organization’s most respected instructors, known for challenging apprentices, encouraging them to believe in themselves, and reminding them that learning never stops.

At the 2026 AJAC Graduation Ceremony, Jason was recognized with the AJAC 2026 Instructor of the Year Award, an honor that reflects the lasting impact he has made on thousands of apprentices throughout Washington’s manufacturing industry.

A Passion for Passing It On
Jason’s path into teaching began with the people who invested in him.

Early in his machining career, experienced machinists took him under their wing and shared what they knew. That experience stayed with him.

“When I was starting out in my career, a couple of machinists took me under their wing and taught me what they knew,” Jason says. “I wanted to do the same thing.”

That mindset has shaped every class he has taught since.

Whether he’s introducing apprentices to CNC programming, G-code, or advanced manufacturing concepts, Jason believes teaching is about much more than technical skills. It’s about helping people realize what they’re capable of.

Every Apprentice Has a Different Story
One of the things Jason values most about AJAC is the diversity of the apprentices who walk into his classroom.

Over the years, he’s taught legally blind students learning Mastercam, formerly incarcerated individuals building new careers, recent high school graduates, and experienced workers looking to grow their skills.

Different backgrounds. Different experiences. One shared opportunity to succeed.

For Jason, that’s what apprenticeship is all about.

Falling in Love with Teaching
Jason still remembers one of his very first AJAC classes.

AJAC was just getting started, curriculum was still being developed, and he was teaching CNC Programming out of the back of AJAC’s training trailer at Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center.

As required, he offered students a ten-minute break every hour.

They wouldn’t let him.

His apprentices were so engaged that they wanted to keep learning instead.

“They wanted me to show them how they could earn a lot more than they were currently earning,” Jason recalls. “That was the night I fell in love with it.”

More than a decade later, that same excitement still drives every class he teaches.

Learning Goes Both Ways
Ask Jason what makes teaching apprentices different, and he’ll tell you something unexpected.

His students teach him.

Because AJAC apprentices spend the vast majority of their training learning on the job, they regularly bring real-world experiences back into the classroom. Those conversations often introduce new ideas, new machining techniques, and different ways of solving problems.

“I learn as much from my apprentices as they learn from me,” Jason says.

That collaborative approach reflects what makes registered apprenticeship so effective. Employers, instructors, curriculum developers, and apprentices all contribute to creating training that evolves alongside the manufacturing industry.

More Than Technical Skills
Jason’s own story is proof that success doesn’t always follow a traditional path.

He left high school during his senior year with a 1.3 GPA. Later, he enrolled at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, where he graduated with honors, served as student body president, and earned the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence.

Today, he shares that story with apprentices because he wants them to know there is more than one path to success.

“If high school isn’t working for you,” he says, “there are other things that you can do.”

For many students, apprenticeship becomes that path.

Preparing Apprentices for the Future
While many industries wonder how artificial intelligence will reshape their work, Jason sees opportunity.

He believes new technologies don’t replace skilled machinists. They expand what’s possible.

As manufacturing continues to evolve, machinists who embrace new tools, software, and technology will continue to find exciting opportunities to grow.

That outlook is one of the reasons Jason continues learning alongside every class he teaches.

Believing in People Before They Believe in Themselves
When asked what he hopes his legacy at AJAC will be, Jason’s answer isn’t about machining.

It’s about people.

He hopes his apprentices remember that even when they doubted themselves, someone believed they could succeed.

That belief has helped launch careers at companies including Boeing, Microsoft, and countless manufacturing employers across Washington.

For Jason, every breakthrough matters. Every concept that finally clicks means another apprentice is gaining skills that can change their future, support their family, and build a rewarding career.

It’s a reminder that great instructors don’t just teach technical skills.

They help people see what’s possible.

Congratulations to Jason Vice on being named AJAC’s 2026 Instructor of the Year, and thank you for the lasting impact you’ve made on AJAC, Washington’s manufacturing industry, and the thousands of apprentices whose lives you’ve helped shape.