Better Jobs, Better-Qualified Workers

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

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

Meeting Agendas

Minutes of Previous Meetings

Council Matters Newsletter

Council Matters: February 9 NEW!
Past Editions