Uniquely among the states, Oklahoma brings together leaders from business, government, education, and non-profit sectors to jointly develop ways to coordinate workforce development with economic development. The goals: better jobs for the state’s workers and better-qualified workers for the state’s employers.
Since 2004, the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development has been working to develop creative solutions that expand and improve Oklahoma’s workforce, promote a stronger economy, and make the state more competitive globally.
Among the Council’s more visible accomplishments are:
- Sector strategies that have led to more and better training and education for workers in the state’s leading industries, including health care, aerospace and manufacturing.
- Career Readiness Certificates, giving 60,000 Oklahoma workers an objective credential documenting their skills and giving employers a way to identify and employ those skills.
- Work Ready Communities, now covering the entire eastern tier of Oklahoma, where the workforce and graduating high school seniors have documented skill levels.
- OKCareerPlanner.com, providing a wide range of information on career and education planning, including overviews of careers in the state’s top industries.
- Career Ready 101/KeyTrain, a proven interactive training system now available to every employer and every school in the state.
- Oklahoma Green, which is training thousands of Oklahomans for a wide spectrum of energy-efficiency and other green jobs.
Current Council initiatives, as outlined in Governor’s Council Strategic Plan 2011, include:
- Decrease Government Bureaucracy – by designing, aligning and integrating Oklahoma’s workforce/ talent development and delivery system.
- Commitment to education and training - to ensure that employer talent demands are matched with and meet the education and training supply chain.
- Increase Oklahoma’s educational attainment levels – to ensure a quality workforce with appropriate skills and credentials.
Building Blocks for an Employer-Responsive Workforce System 2011
A major Governor’s Council study of employer needs in 2011 found better skills certifications and four other building blocks as the blueprint for a new, more responsive workforce development system. The findings are documented in Building Blocks for an Employer-Responsive Workforce System 2011.
Game Changers for Governor Fallin
Game Changer Outline
Strategic Plan April 20 GCWED Meeting
Governor’s Youth Council
A separate Governor’s Youth Council advises the Governor’s Council on strategies involving youth.
Meetings
2012 Governor's Council Meetings
2012 Youth Council Meetings
Governor's Council 4-20-12 Agenda
Governor's Council 6-1-12 Agenda
Youth Council 4-20-12 Agenda
Meeting Agendas
Minutes of Previous Meetings
Council Matters Newsletter
Council Matters: April 24
Past Editions