FLYAP Press Release

August 12, 2020

Program Contact: Bob Coyne: bcoyne@rtma.org  585-749-7535 (Workforce Development Director, RTMA)

Press Contact:  Hency Yuen-Eng: hyuen-eng@monroecc.edu  585-292-3063

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program launches NEW interactive website that paves the way to successful careers for high school students

Henrietta, NY—As local school districts prepare for an unprecedented beginning of a new academic year, many high school students and their families are even more unsure about what the future holds.  Due to COVID-19 and the instability it has created in countless industries, students are reconsidering their career paths and looking for options that provide career satisfaction, security, opportunity for advancement, and attractive earning potential—without the hefty price tag of a 4-year degree.

For a growing number of students, the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program (FLYAP) is their ticket to a high-paying, challenging career in the advanced manufacturing industry.  Launched in 2019 by the Rochester Technology & Manufacturing Association (RTMA) and Monroe Community College (MCC), FLYAP partners with Career & Technology programs such as BOCES and WEMOCO, Edison Career & Technology High School, local public and private high schools, homeschool families, and dozens of local employers to provide high school students with job shadowing and paid co-op experiences—while earning college credits.

To assist high school students and their families with these critical, life-shaping decisions, FLYAP has launched a new, highly-interactive website that allows students to explore multiple paths to a successful career based on the student’s interests, competencies, and character traits.

• Want to make a tool that will produce millions of critical components for the latest generation of smartphone and tablet technology? Toolmaking might be for you.
• How about manufacturing a medical device for joint replacement, fuel nozzle for a Boeing jet liner, or a component on a new Tesla? CNC Machining could be your calling.

Using the new FLYAP website, students can “test drive” more than a dozen career options, learn about necessary training, discover earning potential, assess key skills, and apply to the FLYAP program—all from the comfort of their home.

“We’ve learned many important lessons through this pandemic, but perhaps one of the most profound is the crucial role that manufacturing plays in our country’s ability to withstand catastrophes.  While other industries were effectively shut-down during COVID-19, many manufacturers actually ramped up their production to meet the essential needs of our community.  We expect this trajectory to continue and must take bold steps to provide highly skilled workforce to grow manufacturing capacity,” states Bob Coyne, Workforce Development Director for the RTMA.

To learn more about the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program, explore more than a dozen trade opportunities, or apply to the program, visit FLYAP.org.

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