RTMA Welcomes More Than 1,500 Students to 3rd Annual ROC With Your Hands

Rochester – The Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (RTMA) today in partnership with the City of Rochester, Monroe County, the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program (FLYAP), Monroe Community College (MCC), RochesterWorks, UNiCON Rochester and the Builders Exchange of Rochester hosted the third annual ROC With Your Hands Career Exploration event at the Rochester Community Sports Complex. The event was provided at no cost to the schools and students thanks to the generosity of community partners and donors.

ROC With Your Hands featured more than 70 employers that showcased various careers, offered hands-on demonstrations and provided information on their respective fields. Over 1,500 students in grades seven through 12 across Monroe County, the City of Rochester and the Finger Lakes Region were exposed to careers in advanced manufacturing, skilled trades, automotive technology and heavy equipment. Students, teachers and chaperones were also provided free merchandise and lunch.

The RTMA developed ROC With Your Hands through discussions with area businesses, local educators and community partners alongside FLYAP. The annual career exploration will be offered throughout the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes Region. ROC With Your Hands further supports the RTMA’s mission of promoting manufacturing innovation and growth in the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes Region by partnering with industry, academia and government.

“ROC With Your Hands exposes students of all ages and abilities to great careers in advanced manufacturing, skilled labor, automotive technology and heavy equipment and shows them and educators several pathways to success and economic independence, said Bob Coyne, RTMA Executive Director. “The spirit of collaboration throughout the greater Rochester and Finger Lakes Region is like no other, and that is what makes ROC With Your Hands one of the most successful career exploration programs in New York State.”

The City of Rochester generously hosted ROC With Your Hands at the Rochester Community Sports Complex through its Department of Recreation and Human Services at the Rochester Community Sports Complex. Mayor Evans and his administration remain committed to workforce development training and entrepreneurial services.

“I’m thrilled to see the ROC With Your Hands Career Exploration event return for its third year,” said Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans. “This event is a fantastic opportunity for young people across Rochester and Monroe County to engage directly with the many rewarding careers in advanced manufacturing, the skilled trades, and more. By providing hands-on experiences and the chance to connect with employers, ROC With Your Hands is shaping the future of our workforce and ensuring our city’s continued growth and success.”

The County of Monroe Industrial Development Corporation and Monroe County Planning & Development Department also support ROC With Your Hands. The county coordinates and provides a broad range of job retention and creation programs and employment and training services. It is committed to making the region economically prosperous by ensuring a high quality of life.

“The critical need for skilled trades workers in Monroe County continues to grow, as new economic development projects and modern infrastructure reshape our regional economy. These essential jobs are not only in high demand, but offer competitive compensation and rewarding benefits,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “It is imperative that we inspire the youth in our community to explore careers in the skilled construction trades, advanced manufacturing, and heavy equipment operation sectors. ROC With Your Hands is a fun, creative, and impactful event that introduces Monroe County’s middle and high school students to pathways that can secure their future success and Greater Rochester’s future economic competitiveness. Thank you to our partners at RTMA for including Monroe County in this annual celebration.”

For the past several years, Monroe Community College has partnered with the RTMA on related training and instruction for hundreds of registered apprentices and the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program. MCC also supports ROC With Your Hands through the college’s Economic & Workforce Development Center and Applied Technologies Center.

“ROC With Your Hands is an example of a group of people working together for a common goal—to catalyze bright futures, for our community and its people,” said Dr. DeAnna R. Burt-Nanna, President of Monroe Community College. “MCC is proud to partner with The Rochester Technology & Manufacturing Association (RTMA) to unlock opportunities for students and empower them to start a path to a technical career with life-sustaining wages.”

RochesterWorks also serves on the steering committee for ROC With Your Hands as the community’s Workforce Development Board and American Job Center. RochesterWorks also provides training and employment services to those in the City of Rochester and County of Monroe.

“RochesterWorks is proud to continue our partnership with the RTMA on the ROC With Your Hands event! The value of this event to the participants – future members of our workforce – and to our community-at-large, continues to grow every year,” said RochesterWorks Executive Director Dave Seeley. “Career opportunities in advanced manufacturing, construction skilled trades, and automotive technology, provide exciting and viable job options for young workers to become an integral part of our region’s growth and development.”

UNiCON Rochester and the Builder’s Exchange also assist with the organization of ROC With Your Hands and host similar career exploration events which are supported by the RTMA. Both provide a wide array of services and programs to local construction and union trades while advocating for our community’s economy and workforce.

The Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association and ROC With Your Hands steering committee would like to thank the event’s partners, sponsors and vendors of the event for allowing the program to be provided to local schools free of charge. For more information on ROC With Your Hands, you can visit https://www.rtma.org/rwyh/ or contact the RTMA at info@rtma.org or (585) 510-6557.