New Rochester initiative to help hundreds secure manufacturing jobs

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A new initiative will help more than 250 people get manufacturing jobs over the next two years.

RochesterWorks! and the Young Adults Manufacturing Training Employment Program (YAMTEP) have come together to create RocSeeds.

This new venture prepares Rochester residents for manufacturing jobs in a matter of weeks.

Organizers say this program helps people who are underrepresented, like victims of violence or people with criminal backgrounds, secure employment.

“You don’t have a high school diploma? We accept you. If you have a high school diploma, we accept you. If you’re coming out of incarceration, we accept you. We accept everyone,” said Tyrone Reaves, president of YAMTEP.

Participants learn basic manufacturing skills and get work readiness training. They get a subsidy, too.

“In order for us to eradicate poverty, in order for us to be collaborative and have one community doing well, we all have to work together,” Reaves said.

All of this is being supported by an $862,000 grant from the Empire State Development’s Office of Strategic Workforce Development.