More than 125 Local High School Students Attend 3rd Annual Women In Manufacturing Summit

Rochester – The Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (RTMA) and Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program (FLYAP) hosted its third annual Women in Manufacturing Summit Wednesday at NextCorps in downtown Rochester. More than 125 students and educators attended the event in-person with dozens more attending virtually. The Women in Manufacturing Summit is the region’s signature event as part of National Apprenticeship Week. The event included networking, lunch and a panel discussion with experts from local advanced manufacturing companies.

According to the US Department of Commerce, women make up nearly half of the overall workforce, but only 29% of the manufacturing workforce. The National Association of Manufacturing has launched initiatives to bring that number up to 35% by 2030.

“The RTMA and FLYAP are proud to host the Women in Manufacturing Summit as an effort to introduce more young women to careers, apprenticeships and training programs in advanced manufacturing,” said RTMA Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator Keri Martin. “As a former educator, I see the importance on connecting more young women to pathways that offer low to no cost training and great careers.”

The Women in Manufacturing Summit is part of the RTMA’s year-long career exploration discussion with local schools and students. The Association has connected more than 825 students to job shadows and paid co-ops to more than 125 local companies through its Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program. The Association has also partnered with local government, academia and industry to introduce young people to manufacturing careers at its annual ROC With Your Hands event.

For more on the RTMA’s workforce development programs and events, you can visit www.rtma.org or call 585-510-6557.