LLNL’s newest Machinist Apprenticeship Program graduates embark on next chapter of careers

In a ceremony tinged with tradition, the latest cohort from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) esteemed Machinist Apprenticeship Program recently celebrated their graduations at a private ceremony.

The event, held at a new venue for the first time in decades — Livermore’s Zephyr Bar and Grill — was attended by family members, friends, mentors, past apprenticeship graduates and distinguished Lab leadership, who gathered to honor the four graduates’ achievements and recognize their hard work and dedication.

As the graduates — Ben Dunfee, Christian Ingwerson, Jonathan Lee and Dmitriy Kucher — received the state-certified precision machinist certificates they earned, the occasion marked not only the end of their four-year apprenticeship, but also the beginning of promising careers as machinists that will continue to build on the foundation laid during their time in the program.

Regarded as one of the premier programs of its kind in the state, LLNL’s apprenticeship program has graduated a select group of just more than 200 total apprentices since 1954, most of whom have continued their careers at the Lab as full-time machinists. Each apprentice is required to complete 8,000 hours of on-the-job training with their Lab mentors as well as 200-plus hours of classroom instruction.

The ceremony began with opening remarks from the program’s leadership, who emphasized the significance of the apprenticeship program to the Lab. Larry Sage called the apprenticeship “the key to the future of manufacturing at LLNL,” adding that as apprentices, they “tour through many of the shops, attain skills specific to those shops and become well-rounded machinists. Many of them will become world-class machinists and others will become leaders.”

Sage also paid tribute to the “apprenticeship royalty” at the event, acknowledging former graduates who had risen to leadership positions within the Lab and citing them as a “testament to what this program can accomplish.”

A recurring theme throughout the evening was the importance of mentorship and the support system surrounding the apprentices and their critical work they do. California Division of Apprenticeship Standards representative Herschel Baser, who drove up from Los Angeles to be part of the ceremony, echoed the sentiment, highlighted the unique nature of LLNL’s program compared to other advanced manufacturing apprenticeships across the state.

“You guys are the MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] of advanced manufacturing,” Baser said, underscoring the program’s cutting-edge nature. Baser encouraged the graduates to "pay it forward" by mentoring future apprentices, ensuring the continued success of the program.

Graduates reflect on their journey

During the presentation of their certificates, the graduates had the opportunity to reflect on their experiences in the program. Graduate  Lee expressed his gratitude to those who had supported him throughout his apprenticeship.

“This four-year journey has been like a roller coaster with its ups and downs,” Lee said.

Fellow graduate Dunfee, a Patterson resident who attended Modesto Junior College, spoke about the importance of the apprenticeship in shaping his career. He went on to describe the program as a "three-stranded rope," with each strand representing a different group — apprentices, machinists and managers — who all contribute to “make sure that the apprenticeship continues to achieve its goals to promote high-value machinists and advance their careers in a way that benefits them as individuals, the Lab, the industry and the nation.

“As the program improves, we should see it produce machinists who better fulfill their potential and know they are valued,” Dunfee said. “I look forward to continuing to learn and grow as a machinist as well as a mentor for those who can benefit from what I have learned over the years.”

As the graduates embark on the next phase of their careers, all expressed excitement for what lies ahead, including Kucher, who started his apprenticeship during the COVID-19 lockdown and will be supporting Site 300 as a machinist.

“After a few months working at the Lab, I thought, ‘man, this is going to take forever,’ and bang, here we are,” Kucher said. “I just want to take the time to show my appreciation to everybody, my apprentice brothers, former apprentices, senior machinists and all the supervisors, for pushing me to become a better machinist and showing me the ways of the Lab.”

Ingwerson, who received his associate’s degree from Las Positas College, said the program was “an amazing opportunity to learn about a wide range of machining processes. I’m very grateful for all the help and training that this program provides.”

Building a foundation for future success

As the ceremony continued, Lab Engineering leadership took the stage to discuss the future of the program and the Laboratory’s broader mission and the significance of the machinists’ work in national security. They emphasized the importance of staying at the forefront of technological advancements and encouraged the graduates to continue learning and growing in their careers.

“Cutting-edge technologies come to the Laboratory, and you adopt them, implement them and make real parts that really matter,” Materials Engineering Division lead Chris Spadaccini told the graduates. “What you do is very special, very different, and very important — not just for the Laboratory, but for the country. What you do directly affects our national security. Hopefully, you think about that all the time when you do your job.”

The event concluded with remarks from Engineering Senior Superintendent Randy Pico, who spoke about the value of the machinists' contributions to the Laboratory.

“Engineering has done a tremendous amount of work in support of NIF (the National Ignition Facility) and weapons and global security,” Pico said. “The most advanced science in the world is coming out of the Lab, and at the heart and core of all that are our machinists.”

Pico acknowledged the collective effort that goes into the success of each apprentice and praised the program’s 100% graduation rate in the state of California’s high apprenticeship graduation rates, noting that it was “indicative of the support that we all have here.”

Other speakers encouraged the graduates to continue learning, to give back to the program and to be leaders for the next generation of machinists.

“You are part of something very special,” LLNL Engineering Section Leader Rich Seugling told the graduates. “Keep learning, keep growing and always be ready to help the next group of apprentices coming up behind you.”

Following the ceremony, Engineering Associate Director Anup Singh noted the significance of having the graduates and their families celebrate together with their Lab mentors and looking forward to the bright futures that await them.

“Engineering has 3,000 employees, but what I see here in terms of camaraderie, the kinship and the former graduates all being in one room as the ones that are graduating today, I rarely see it anywhere else,” Singh said. “It really is like a family — everyone benefits, and then everyone gives back.”