{"id":71816,"date":"2026-01-25T10:34:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T15:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=71816"},"modified":"2026-01-25T10:34:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T15:34:16","slug":"coachs-corner-matching-talent-to-opportunity-is-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/01\/25\/coachs-corner-matching-talent-to-opportunity-is-key\/","title":{"rendered":"Coach\u2019s Corner: Matching Talent to Opportunity is Key"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ability of college athletes to easily, frequently and successfully move from one team and college to another make my head spin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t million-dollar funds available to acquire a future Heisman winner midway through their college career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019m not opposed to change. In many ways, what we saw in the College Football Playoff was exactly what\u2019s happening in workforce development through opportunities like the Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program (FLYAP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FLYAP gives students in Genesee Valley BOCES career and technical education programs the opportunity to get recruited and make decisions on where they\u2019d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference is that all of these choices can be made before high school graduation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming on January 28th, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s rise in college football – we have a goal and put our efforts behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re interested, there\u2019s still time to enroll in one of our workforce development programs, which successfully link students to in-demand careers right out of school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 csuozzi@gcedc.com or visit www.gcedc.com\/careerchecklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

– Coach SwazZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Suozzi is the Executive Vice President, Business & Workforce Development of the Genesee County Economic Development Center.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s 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 \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2774],"tags":[4434],"class_list":["post-71816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-glow-region","tag-coachs-corner"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-iGk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61933,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/02\/16\/genesee-county-coachs-corner-february-2025-build-your-bench-for-workforce-success\/","url_meta":{"origin":71816,"position":0},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Coach’s Corner – February 2025\/Build Your Bench for Workforce Success","author":"aka","date":"February 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"(Provided photo) With every season that doesn't end in a championship, you can look back to missed opportunities and questionable calls. I\u2019m confident that the Buffalo Bills are already looking past that and getting ready for more success. That\u2019s because in the NFL, now is the time to evaluate what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Batavia-High-School-CNC-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Batavia-High-School-CNC-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Batavia-High-School-CNC-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Batavia-High-School-CNC-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Batavia-High-School-CNC-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":82223,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/09\/27\/glow-coachs-corner-early-season-victories-and-opportunities-to-step-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":71816,"position":1},"title":"GLOW\/Coach’s Corner: Early season victories and opportunities to step up","author":"aka","date":"September 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"(Provided information and photo) The NFL season is finally upon us and what a great start! It\u2019s amazing to see so many veterans are already paving the way for the next generation of young talent who will take the field when their time comes. Rookies are learning and following in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GLOW region"","block_context":{"text":"GLOW region","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/glow-region\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GLOWWYH-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GLOWWYH-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GLOWWYH-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GLOWWYH-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63691,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/04\/14\/coachs-corner-opinion-finding-the-sweet-spot-for-career-discovery\/","url_meta":{"origin":71816,"position":2},"title":"Coach’s Corner\/Opinion\/Finding the Sweet Spot for Career Discovery","author":"aka","date":"April 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In sports and in life, the opportunity to find the \u201csweet spot\u201d is always worth the effort. Look at the success of the new torpedo bats in baseball. Putting the weight and power to the sweet spot has everyone from the Yankees to youth players a smart way to play\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/YouthConference.2025.CoachSwazZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/YouthConference.2025.CoachSwazZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/YouthConference.2025.CoachSwazZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/YouthConference.2025.CoachSwazZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/YouthConference.2025.CoachSwazZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66173,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/07\/19\/genesee-county-training-camps-underway-in-workforce-and-the-nfl\/","url_meta":{"origin":71816,"position":3},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Training Camps underway in workforce and the NFL","author":"aka","date":"July 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Coach's Corner Column-Genesee Valley Pre-Apprenticeship Boot Camp We are just days from the start of the football season, but there\u2019s already another training camp underway! 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