First-ever ROC with Your Hands career exploration event held Tuesday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A first-of-its-kind event was held in Rochester to encourage kids to join the workforce.

It’s called ROC with Your Hands, and it kicked off at the Rochester Community Sports Complex on Tuesday morning. The goal is to target kids in grades 7-12 all across the city and Monroe County by connecting them to careers in manufacturing, skilled trades, and automotive technology.

“There’s a lot of opportunity here in Rochester,” Talent Acquisition Specialist Sarah Walton said. “I think it’s important to connect with these students as young as possible because everyone wants to be an influencer, a basketball player, but here in Rochester, we have a lot of opportunity in advanced manufacturing, so it’s good to connect and show them what we’re working with.”

Hundreds of students got to take part in hands-on demonstrations to get a feel for non-traditional careers.