Record Numbers Once again for the 2021-2022 Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program

One-of-a-Kind Career Exploration Program Triples Enrollment & Participation

Rochester – The Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program (FLYAP) finished its 2021-2022 academic year once again with record numbers. Now in its third year, FLYAP tripled student and business enrollment and expanded to every BOCES and Career & Technical Education high school in the greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region.

The Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (RTMA) and Monroe Community College (MCC) created the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program in 2018 to recruit high school juniors and seniors into advanced manufacturing.  FLYAP offers students the opportunity to participate in a job shadow and/or paid co-op at a local manufacturing company. The program is the only manufacturing youth apprenticeship program in New York State.

Nearly 160 students from the nine-county region were selected for job shadows and/or paid co-ops at more than 100 advanced manufacturing companies. These one-of-a-kind career exploration opportunities features more than a dozen manufacturing trades, including Precision Optics, CNC Machining, Electrical, Mechatronics, Welding and more!

“The Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program is preparing youth for the modern-day workforce by combining hands-on education, instructional learning and on-the-job experience,” said FLYAP Program Manager and RTMA Director of Workforce Development Rich Turner.  “Apprenticeship now has a seat at the table when families ask their teens, ‘what do you want to do after high school?’ That’s because Apprenticeships are higher education.”

FLYAP celebrates its Youth Apprentices and their families, participating schools and businesses with a series of “Signing Day” events. These celebrations mirror professional sports drafts and bring awareness to careers in advanced manufacturing.  Students are announced as a “First Overall Pick” by their respective companies and receive a commemorative certificate and promotional items at the celebrations.

“FLYAP celebrates the students, schools, families and businesses and their dedication to strengthening the pipeline for advanced manufacturing,” added FLYAP Co-Creator and RTMA Executive Director Bob Coyne. “These young men and women leave high school with valuable on-the-job experience and college credit that can be applied towards related instruction for a New York State Registered Apprenticeship.”

In addition to the on-the-job experience, students also enrolled in more than 225 Dual Enrollment classes at MCC at no charge. A grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation covers the cost of Dual Enrollment for FLYAP participants.  A generous grant from RG&E also supports the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program with its marketing and outreach.

The Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program by the numbers:

• 77 High School Seniors
• 81 High School Juniors
• 104 Local Manufacturing Businesses
• 228 Dual Enrollment Classes at MCC – 684 College Credits
• 8 “Signing Day” events in Rochester, Spencerport, Stanley, Williamson, Medina, Batavia, Mount Morris and Penn Yan

“The Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program now successfully partners with every BOCES and Career & Technical Education high school in the nine-county region,” added Mike Smith, MCC’s Apprenticeship Manager and FLYAP Manager. “We have been able to expand to traditional high schools because more of our educational partners see the tremendous value in Youth Apprenticeship.”

Participating FLYAP schools include:

• Monroe One BOCES – EMCC (Fairport)
• Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES – WEMOCO (Spencerport)
• Edison Career and Technology High School (Rochester)
• East High School (Rochester)
• Genesee Valley BOCES – Batavia Career & Technical Education (Batavia)
• Genesee Valley BOCES – Mount Morris Career & Technical Education (Mount Morris)
• Orleans Niagara BOCES – Orleans Career & Technical Education Center (Medina)
• Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES – Finger Lakes Technical & Career Center (Stanley)
• Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES – Wayne Technical and Career Center (Williamson)
• Fairport High School (Fairport)
• Rush-Henrietta High School (Henrietta)
• University Preparatory High School (Rochester)
• World of Inquiry – School #58 (Rochester)
• Leadership Academy for Young Men (Rochester)
• Rochester Academy Charter School (Greece)
• Canandaigua Academy High School (Canandaigua)
• Victor High School (Victor)
• Penn Yan Academy High School (Penn Yan)

Currently completing its third year, the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program has placed dozens of recent high school graduates in careers in advanced manufacturing throughout the region; including several whom are now in the New York State Registered Apprenticeship Program.  You can find out more about it at www.FLYAP.org.

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Media Inquiries, contact:

Richard T. Turner

Director of Workforce Development

(585) 510-6557 – Office ▪ (585) 721-6930 – Mobile

rturner@rtma.org