It’s impressive to see how leaders like Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti at Indiana have responded to a new environment in college sports and brought unique talent together for a National Championship.

The ability of college athletes to easily, frequently and successfully move from one team and college to another make my head spin.

I played high school and college football in a different era. My teammates and opponents were consistent in a way that is impossible to achieve now. Our coaches, and those at the top level of college football, had to evaluate the talent they had  in hand, and make it work. There weren’t million-dollar funds available to acquire a future Heisman winner midway through their college career.

But I’m not opposed to change. In many ways, what we saw in the College Football Playoff was exactly what’s happening in workforce development through opportunities like the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program (FLYAP).

FLYAP gives students in Genesee Valley BOCES career and technical education programs the opportunity to get recruited and make decisions on where they’d like to try out a professional role. And like a star college football player they have the freedom to make choices based on their experiences.

The difference is that all of these choices can be made before high school graduation!

Coming on January 28^th, the FLYAP signing day celebration is back for the fourth consecutive year. In an NFL draft-style format, students will be announced as first-round draft picks and sign-on with local companies as they embark on internships and paid co-ops in manufacturing and skilled trades.

I’m confident that these students will succeed because their talent is recognized early by our companies and organizations like the Rochester Technology Manufacturers Association, who lead FLYAP.

And more students will continue to be rewarded with these opportunities because of a deep base of supporters. Think of us like the NIL Collective that funded Indiana’s rise in college football - we have a goal and put our efforts behind it.

Over 4,000 participants benefited from our partners in workforce development and career exploration programs I tracked in 2025. The energy of our workforce partners throughout the years has inspired and prepared a workforce development ecosystem that produces real results.

Year after year, students who participate in these programs graduate high school with career-readiness certificates, gain hours of valuable apprenticeship training, and dozens of connections to healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades and agriculture opportunities.

If you’re interested, there’s still time to enroll in one of our workforce development programs, which successfully link students to in-demand careers right out of school.

We can put you on a fast track with a local company in a career that allows you to grow and provides immediate placement after graduation, starting your career debt-free and workforce-ready.

To learn more or sign up for the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program or any other local workforce opportunities, contact me at 585-343-4866 or [email protected] or visit www.gcedc.com/careerchecklist.

- Coach SwazZ

Chris Suozzi is the Executive Vice President, Business & Workforce Development of the Genesee County Economic Development Center.