ROCHESTER, NY, July 14, 2021 – The Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) is pleased to announce that the Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation Board has awarded funding to expand the RMSC’s Career Ladder workforce development program. The expanded program will provide more opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to participate and develop critical work skills that will prepare them for jobs in science, technology, arts, and culture. County Executive Adam Bello was instrumental in securing this support.
The Career Ladder program at the RMSC was established in 2011 for high school students from the City of Rochester to develop critical work skills by providing long-term, on-the-job training in a positive and supportive environment. Over the last 10 years, this program has provided work experience to over 65 students. These students work as part of the RMSC Education Department team engaging with Museum visitors, facilitating educational programming, and maintaining exhibits.
“Connecting young people from underserved communities with career opportunities and helping them develop critical work skills in a supportive, positive environment helps us foster a more sustainable and healthy community,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “The Rochester Museum and Science Center Career Ladder Program helps break down barriers to opportunity so more of our young people can explore career pathways in the STEM and arts and culture sectors. This is a win-win for all of us. I applaud the Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation Board for recognizing how important this program is and thank the Rochester Museum and Science Center for its continued support of our high school and college students and young adults.”
This new funding will enable the RMSC to increase the number of Career Ladder participants from throughout the community, expand the program to include college students and young adults, and provide more training and diverse work experiences. Participants will also be able to advance to higher levels of responsibility. The Rochester region’s science and technology sectors are expanding rapidly and Career Ladder will help prepare participants from underserved communities for these cutting edge jobs.
“This program opens students’ eyes to the variety of job opportunities available for them in the Museum and STEM fields. Not only are they getting real-world job experience, they’re also building confidence to go out and pursue a career in these fields that are historically lacking in diversity,” said Hillary Olson, President and CEO of the RMSC. “We’re grateful that the county sees the value of the Career Ladder program and is able to support us as we grow our program offerings to reach even more students and help them succeed.”
