The Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association and workforce development partners from the GLOW Region (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans & Wyoming counties) have the recipe for a successful SUNY Pre-Apprenticeship Program.
Over six weeks this past summer, ten lucky participants received free classroom instruction at the Genesee Valley BOCES in Batavia, paired with paid on-the-job experience at a local advanced manufacturing company. The ‘Boot Camp’ style program is an earn-while-you-learn model that has placed nearly three dozen participants directly into full-time employment and several into New York State Registered Apprenticeship programs.
“The GLOW Region is leading the way in workforce development programs that link academic to industry through innovative programs like the Genesee Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Boot Camp,” said Bob Coyne, RTMA Executive Director. “The RTMA is proud to partner with Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, Genesee Community College, Genesee County Economic Development Center and others to create programs that workers of all ages, skill levels and abilities for a variety of high-demand careers in advanced manufacturing.”
The Genesee Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Program was created in 2021 to assist companies in the region with recruitment and training for high-demand trades that align with their highly competitive mechatronics program. Participants receive 96 hours of state-of-the-art classroom training and more than 100 hours of paid on-the-job experience at companies in Genesee, Livingston and Monroe counties. The program has been replicated in other areas of the state including, Monroe County this year as five participants completed the program earlier this fall.
Classroom instruction was provided at no-cost to participants as a result of funding provided by Apprenticeship Programs at SUNY to support Pre-Apprenticeship programs statewide. Funding is secured by SUNY Community Colleges who then partner with regional entities, in this case, The Genesee County Economic Development Center, Workforce Development Institute and GLOW Works, to support job training programs.
If your campus is interested in learning more about available funding for pre-apprenticeship training contact us at [email protected] to get started!
