RTMA Celebrates 11'Real Life Rosies' Graduates with BOCES 2

Spencerport, NY – The Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (RTMA) and Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Center for Workforce Development (CWD) today celebrated the graduation of the latest cohort of the Real Life Rosies © Pre-Apprenticeship Program, supporting the Finger Lakes manufacturing industry. Eleven participants successfully completed the six-week, 72-hour training program, earning the Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) credential through Tooling U-SME.

Real Life Rosies © is designed to expand opportunities for women in advanced manufacturing by providing no-cost, pre-apprenticeship training that blends technical instruction with career readiness development. As New York’s first direct-entry program focused specifically on women in manufacturing, it plays a critical role in addressing workforce needs while creating accessible career pathways into a high-demand industry.

Participants gained hands-on experience, completed classroom instruction, and earned multiple industry-recognized credentials, including the Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) and OSHA-10 certification. The program also introduced participants to real-world manufacturing environments through tours of local companies, helping them better understand career opportunities across the region.

“Each graduating class continues to gain new insights and expand their technical knowledge as we build stronger relationships with our education and manufacturing partners,” said Ruth Thompson, Pre-Apprenticeship and Training Manager at RTMA. “This most recent cohort completed 28 advanced manufacturing modules through SME’s Tooling U ahead of schedule, opening up weeks of additional hands-on lab time at the BOCES 2 Manufacturing Process Center utilizing their mechatronics equipment.”

Additional Real Life Rosies © cohorts are scheduled for fall 2026. For more information about upcoming programs, visit www.rtma.org/real-life-rosies, call 585-510-6557, or email RThompson@RTMA.org. The Real Life Rosies © program is supported by the Manufacturers Association of Central New York, Empire State Development, the ESL Charitable Foundation, and RochesterWorks.