GLOW With Your Hands, which highlights skilled trades, goes virtual
Program last year introduced 800 students to jobs in building trades, agriculture and manufacturing
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jay Helker, vice president of operations for Swan Equipment & Trucking in Avon, discusses some of the tools used to fix big trucks and other equipment during the inaugural “GLOW With Your Hands” event on September 24, 2019. Helker told students he enjoys his job. “There is a lot of hands-on work. The days go by fast.”
Press Release, Genesee County Economic Development Center
BATAVIA – The successful GLOW With Your Hands career exploration project hit a major milestone in November with the launch of a new virtual platform to benefit all students in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming County (GLOW) Region.
A year after engaging with more than 800 students in hands-on experiences, GLOW With Your Hands Virtual (glowwithyourhandsvirtual.com) expands the experience with innovative, on-demand exploration of 34 careers across 4 growing sections of the regional economy.
“After seeing the direct impact GLOW With Your Hands produced in a single-day event in 2019, we are excited to bring careers in agriculture, food processing, advanced manufacturing and skilled trades directly to even more students,” said Karyn Winters, Director of the Genesee County BEA, who led the project with Angela Grouse, Director of Education to Employment Initiatives at the Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Students who swung a hammer, laid a concrete walkway, practiced welding and dozens of other activities at GLOW With Your Hands 2019 can now have an even deeper connection to explore these careers,” Grouse said. “GLOW With Your Hands Virtual takes those experiences into the production facilities, job sites and farms, with meaningful results.”
Schools received early access to the GLOW With Your Hands Virtual website starting Nov. 2, 2020. The full website has launched to the public, and students, parents and educators are encouraged to immerse themselves in the platform.
Careers highlighted include assembly and fabrication, welding, concrete and masonry, project manager, food packaging, veterinary technician, animal nutritionist, and CDL driver.
“Each career page includes an extensive ‘day in the life’ profile of professionals at great companies in the GLOW region, and an outline of the general duties, earnings and educational requirements,” Grouse said. “Most importantly, students are shown a pathway of classes, clubs, volunteer opportunities and local training programs that they can pursue during middle and high school and beyond with training programs and post-secondary opportunities.”
In addition to the Genesee County BEA and Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce, volunteers from ACCESS-VR, Iroquois Job Corps, Livingston Associates, Livingston County Cornell Cooperative Extension, Wyoming County BEC, GCEDC, Genesee Valley BOCES, GLOW Workforce Development Board, Genesee County Job Development Bureau, Livingston County Office of Workforce Development, Orleans County Job Development Agency, Wyoming County Community Action, and Tobacco-Free GOW all participated in generating career information, filming and editing of videos with companies across all four counties, and preparing the website.
“We are already planning how to grow GLOW With Your Hands for the future,” Winters said. “In addition to continuing to expand the Virtual platform, all of our organizations are ready to assist our students, educators and businesses.”
GLOW With Your Hands Virtual was made possible by generous 2020 Sponsors, led by Platinum Sponsor Genesee Construction; Gold Sponsors Clark Patterson Lee, O-AT-KA Milk Products, National Grid and Livingston Associates; Silver Sponsor USG Oakfield; Bronze Sponsors Batavia Rotary, Cargill, CY Farms, Koike Aronson, Pfisterer Lapp, Torrey Farms and the Workforce Development Institute; and General Sponsors Ed Hulme General Contracting and Stein Farms.
“The support that our volunteers, businesses, schools and sponsors all brought to our inaugural event continued throughout the past year and throughout the development of the GLOW With Your Hands Virtual project under Karyn and Angela’s leadership,” said GLOW With Your Hands Co-Chairs Jay Lazarony and Chris Suozzi. “The entire GLOW With Your Hands team invites you to explore glowwithyourhandsvirtual.com, and we look forward to seeing everyone in person very soon for the next hands-on event.”
Click the links for videos on the following careers:
• Machine Technician (LINK)
• Project Manager (LINK)
• Machine Operator (LINK)
• Green House Labor Director (LINK)
