Oklahoma Association of Technology Centers/Tri County Technology Center as Fiscal Agent

PROJECT PURPOSE

The goal of Skills to Rebuild is to provide Oklahomans with the skills necessary to quickly transition from unemployed or underemployed into full-time, well-paying jobs. Skills to Rebuild equipping adults with certifications for long-term career growth and helps fill current and anticipated future gaps in Oklahoma?s workforce. Currently, Oklahoma is 36th in the nation in degrees and certifications earned. With this funding, CareerTech Skills to Rebuild will add a projected 12,000 certifications, moving Oklahoma closer to being Top 10 in the nation. This initiative will allow Oklahomans to complete job training programs on an expedited time frame of only 2-10 months, debt-free, with a projected annual payroll impact of $350 million. The investment will provide tuition waivers to support unemployed and underemployed Oklahomans directly. While a few hundred dollars to gain skills needed for a higher paying job may seem like a small amount to many, for underemployed and unemployed individuals who may live paycheck to paycheck, any amount of money can be a significant barrier. Fifteen technology centers across the state have identified available jobs in their regions and matched those jobs with training programs to quickly train or upskill individuals to get them fully employed quickly. The Skills to Rebuild certification programs are matched with regional workforce demands. Working with private sector partners, the CareerTech Center identified jobs, skills and needs that are currently unmet. This approach will quickly bridge the workforce gap for local employers

EVIDENCE

Skills to Rebuild piloted at Tri County Technology Center with support from CARES Act GREER (Governor's Emergency Education Relief) funds. Tri County has received over 3,400 applications and more than 400 participants successfully enrolled in the program. Many have shared testimonies of obtaining immediate employment, increasing hourly wages by at least 20%, and beginning next steps for career development through Oklahoma?s education system. A $15 million, one-time investment in a statewide Skills to Rebuild initiative would allow the state?s technology centers to train 12,000 Oklahomans to pursue employment with an average wage of $17.32 per hour and generating an annual payroll of up to $350 million

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The pandemic left many Oklahomans without jobs, companies had to close their doors and communities were left to pick up the pieces. Oklahoma citizens have given up looking for work, as illustrated by the labor force. Participation rate of 60.4%, 36th in the nation. Skills to Rebuild will directly and indirectly positively benefit all three of these populations. While Oklahoma?s overall unemployment rate appears to have since recovered, it is also true that there are many Oklahomans who are underemployed and others who are not working but are eligible for employment and not actively seeking a job opportunity. These populations are more difficult to quantify as they are not included in traditional unemployment data. Oklahomans want to be gainfully employed and earn a living wage, and they are clamoring for help to retool and retrain. Unemployment and underemployment are not sustainable economic situations. Providing opportunities for these individuals to gain job skills helps them by providing tools to gain financial stability. It also supports the state?s private industry workforce needs, which keeps Oklahoma?s economy growing, and may help reduce an individual?s need for poverty assistance

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Tri County Tech will release a PR and marketing template for Career Techs to replicate. The funds will be distributed based on identified training opportunities at the participating sixteen technology centers. A data reporting system will be put in place for each of the technology centers to track students' employment data, including placement and wages. This will allow for calculation and reporting of the annual economic impact.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma