The skills of high school and college students from throughout southeast Nebraska were on full display Friday at Metropolitan Community College. Audio production, carpentry, HVAC and even firefighting competitions showcased the best and brightest of skilled trades in the community.
It’s all part of the MCC Invitational, an annual event similar to SkillsUSA, but specifically for students in the Omaha area. In total, 265 high school and college students showed off their skills, including three talented members of the Lozier team.
Aaron Adams, Brandon Gallo and Justin Warren, three Tool & Die technicians at the North Plant, competed in Friday’s CNC competition. Working off of distributed prints, the competitors worked on the setup and programming of the project, with judges grading on attention to detail and following order of operations.
Friday’s event was a busy day for Lozier employees outside of the competition. Sr. Training & Development Specialist Joe Collins lent his professional expertise as a judge, scoring and critiquing the Precision Machining competition. Working off a set of prints, students were judged on their effort and execution, with measurements meeting precise requirements.
After the competition, students had the opportunity to speak with business and industry partners, including Community Outreach & Engagement Manager Ralph Kleinsmith, HR Generalist I Kassandra Blatchford and Brand Strategist Phyl Thomas. Lozier’s animated gondola mascot TL even made an appearance.
On the awards stage, Lozier’s competitors had an impressive showing. Adams and Gallo claimed the top two spots in the CNC category, a tribute to their attention to detail and efforts spent learning on the job and in the classroom. Adams, Gallo and Warren are all part of Lozier’s Sponsorship for the Trades program, set to earn their Precision Machining degrees from MCC in the near future.