The Genesee County Economic Development Center will sponsor the second event of its kind – Food Processing Bootcamp in the spring.
The Cornell High School Food Processing Bootcamp is an opportunity for job-ready graduating seniors to explore food processing such as manufacturing of cheese, yogurt, butter, fluid milk, and vegetables. The event, slated for March 7 to 9, is a free program at Genesee Valley BOCES in Batavia. The program is expected to create opportunities for students looking to pursue a career in food processing.
“We do a lot of outreaches to our schools and our students because we see the programs at the GV BOCES as one of the most terrific paths to great careers we have in our communities,” said Jim Krencik, senior director of marketing and communications at the GCEDC.
Any school in the GV BOCES system is eligible to attend the event.
“We’re looking for seniors. This is even more specific to seniors who are career focused versus college focus as their first priority because of the opportunity our three-day bootcamp provides,” said Chris Suozzi, vice president of business and workforce development at GCEDC. “Upon completion of the bootcamp, students will get a certificate from Cornell University that will lead right into a job opportunity at one of our local food processing companies.”
These are students who will graduate with a high school degree and plan to enter directly into the workforce. There are multiple different pathways for job opportunities.
“We try to align these students to the current in-demand jobs we have with local manufacturing. In this case, specifically for the food processing industry,” said Suozzi.
There are more than 1,000 jobs available in the food cluster just in Batavia including Upstate Niagara, H.P. Hood, and O-AT-KA Milk Products. A student who attends a Cornell High School Bootcamp would be considered the in-demand employee for those companies.
This opportunity includes students who are currently enrolled in a BOCES program as well as students who are still determining what path they intend to take after high school because they are still uncertain.
“Some students still have a chronic case of ‘I don’t know.’ This opportunity could spark an interest for them,’ said Krencik.
Last year’s event, which was the pilot program, was geared toward an intensive mechatronics focus and the program welcomed a dozen students to the three-day bootcamp. This emphasized careers for electromechanical technicians and maintenance mechanics because these positions are available at many companies. The GCEDC is hoping to welcome 25 students to the three-day event this year.
Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field referring to the skill sets needed in the contemporary, advanced automated manufacturing industry.
“We had a student flow right from this program into the mechatronics bootcamp and now they’re one of our all-stars at Upstate Niagara Cooperative, which is the yogurt plant inside the Genesee Valley Agricultural Park in Batavia,” said Krencik.
According to Krencik, throughout the region there are dozens of companies seeking to hire these students.
“We’re trying to accelerate their career path. This certificate [Cornell Food Processing Certificate] will accompany their high school diploma when they go out in the job field. We’re trying to get students to look at these food processing plants as a career path not just a job opportunity,” said Suozzi. “This opens the door for other opportunities as well. What you’re taught in this three-day bootcamp can really apply to any advanced manufacturing company.”
According to the Genesee County Careers Center, their jobs report indicates more than 60 manufacturing jobs currently available. Additionally, it lists the unemployment rate is 2.5 percent in Genesee County, 2.7 percent in the GLOW region, and 3.8 percent in New York State. There are jobs available and there is a dire need for quality employees.
The bootcamp features training in science and sanitation, which provides the skill set needed to operate within one of the local food processing plants and learn some of the protocols. The students will learn in the bootcamp what new employees learn when they get hired at the plants.
“The students get the information accelerated so they really understand what the food processing industry is all about…,” said Suozzi. “Managers from those industries talk to the students about what life on the job is like. They get a really good hands-on experience. That dialogue, we found, was immeasurable because the students really opened up and asked questions...”
Food processing companies partaking in the three-day bootcamp include H. P Hood, O-AT-KA Milk Products, Upstate Niagara, Yancey’s Fancy and Nortera.
The bootcamp includes a field trip surrounding a tour. Last year’s tour was at Upstate Niagara. This year’s tour is at Yancey’s Fancy Cheese.
“It’s also really fun. This is like a three-day field trip with some tours. It’s not a three-day cram session and then a final exam,” said Krencik.
“The Cornell leaders really make it fun. Students will get a great understanding of this industry and can determine if this is the right career path for them,” said Suozzi.
This free bootcamp will be instructed by members of the Cornell University Dairy Foods Extension Team. The event is funded by GCEDC and the Workforce Development Institute.
To register for the bootcamp, visit https://cals.cornell.edu/form/dfe-dairy-processing-bootcamp. Deadline for registration is Feb. 1.
For more information, visit cals.cornell.edu.