GLOW With Your Hands career exploration event returns on Sept. 24

1,100 students mostly from 4 rural counties attended last year

Photo by Tom Rivers: Edwin, a ninth-grader at Cal-Mum, uses the backhoe attachment on a John Deere tractor during last year’s GLOW With Your Hands on Sept. 26. Scott Holmes, the general manager of LandPro’s Batavia store, provides guidance.

Press Release, GLOW With Your Hands

BATAVIA – Workforce, business, education, and economic development officials from across the GLOW region unveiled details today for the 6th Annual GLOW With Your Hands career exploration festival.

The event will take place at the Genesee County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Since it started in 2019, more than 5,000 students have been part of GLOW With Your Hands.

“On September 24th at the Genesee County Fairgrounds will once again showcase the exciting and diverse career opportunities in agriculture, food processing, skilled trades, and advanced manufacturing that are thriving right here in our communities,” said Angela Grouse, GLOW With Your Hands Co-Chair.

Officials associated with the 2024 GLOW With Your Hands once again anticipate that over 1,000 students will be in attendance from 30 school districts across the GLOW region.

“GLOW With Your Hands highlights the diverse pathways to success, we showcase careers that are accessible right out of high school, as well as those that require trade training, two-year degrees, or four-year degrees through active local programs,” Grouse said. “We empower students to make informed decisions about their futures, maximizing their return on investment and minimizing student loan debt.”

More than 60 vendors have already committed to participate in the annual event which will feature hands-on activities and simulations in the advanced manufacturing, agriculture, food production, skilled trades sectors as well as the various branches of the military.

Each year’s event features new companies, and Sept. 24 will include Lakeland Concrete Products, a construction company based in Lima; IK Systems, a leading supplier of integrated surveillance & security systems out of Victor; Davis Fetch, a drywall contractor from Rochester; and Zoldaz, a trucking contractor in Alden.

“The participation and response by the private sector in this annual event reaffirm that making students aware of careers right in their own backyard is paying dividends not only for these companies but the region’s economy,” added Jay Lazarony, GLOW With Your Hands co-chairman. “Students need to know that they can find jobs where they grew up and want to stay and be with family because these jobs are right here.”

One of the participating companies that is experiencing the benefits of making students aware of career opportunities is Genesee Construction in Dansville, which hosted the kickoff event. Through the years, Genesee Construction has provided students with hands-on experiences at the annual event through simulated construction projects.

“Through collaboration with students at GLOW With Your Hands, we are able to identify and interact with the next generation of workforce candidates who possess the skills and passion to explore career opportunities in the construction sector,” said Mary Ellyn Merle Calabrese, project manager with Genesee Construction. “The construction industry, in particular, relies on the local workforce pool in our region to fill these good paying and strongly in-demand jobs.”

GLOW With Your Hands still has room for vendors, sponsors, and volunteers. For more information please, click here.