Jesse Lazzarino, welding instructor at Feather River College and owner of Lazzarino Machine Works is bringing his expertise to students at Plumas Charter School as the new coordinator of the manufacturing and metal fabrication pathway. 

The pathway is offered to high school students and includes four classes; introduction to welding, welding 1, welding 2 and metal fabrication. PCS is one of the first schools on the west coast to offer a virtual-reality training tool called the augmented ARC. “This technology offers students real-time instruction and hands-on experience before they step inside a workshop,” said Lazzarino. When it's time for students to leave the classroom and enter a workshop, PCS’ partnership with FRC allows the beginning welders to take some of the classes at the college campus and have access to their welding equipment.

PCS purchased curriculum from the American Welding Society in order to offer students a welding 1 certification and industry-standard SENSE certification upon completion of the program. The goal of the pathway is to align with FRC and Butte College classes so that students can enter college programs at an advanced starting point. 

The manufacturing and metal fabrication pathway is part of the grant-funded Career and Technical Education program at PCS. In addition to this pathway, the CTE program offers nine other areas of study; agriscience, design, visual and media arts, food service and hospitality, forestry and natural resources, hospitality, tourism and recreation, patient care, performing arts, public safety, and software systems. The charter school  utilizes the K12 Strong Workforce grant program to establish new pathways and expand existing pathways.