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Creating Oklahoma's Workforce Advantage

The Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development (GCWED) brings together leaders from across a variety of private and public sector organizations to develop a strategy for accelerated economic growth and to provide direction to state administration. The Council's vision is for Oklahoma to have a competitive advantage through integrated workforce and economic development objectives. The Council will achieve this vision through its mission to advance a demand-driven workforce and economic development system.

GCWED Strategy & Objectives | Communications Tools | GCWED Meetings

What's This

Governor's Council Hosts Youth Forum

Mar. 19, 2008 -- The Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development in partnership with the State Youth Council and Oklahoma State University recently hosted a community forum on youth entitled, "Youth: The REAL Future of the South".

This was one of three forums held around the state. Two were recently hosted by The Oklahoma Academy in partnership with Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and another with the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha.

The forums were designed to engage young people in determining how their visions, talents and passions can be utilized civically to enhance the potential of the South.

Work Ready Gives Communities, Counties, and Regions an Opportunity to Certify Their Workforces

March 7, 2008 -- Oklahomans are hard workers recognized nationally for their ability to get the job done. Yet, as valuable as this strong, unyielding work ethic is, it will not be enough to carry us successfully into our next 100 years.

To ensure that Oklahoma offers industry the innovative talent needed to compete in a knowledge-based economy, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce will soon launch the Certified Work Ready Communities program.

Work Ready Communities expands the state's skills assessment and certification effort currently offered to individual employees, job seekers, and employers through the WorkKeys and Career Readiness Certificate program.

2008 Workforce Oklahoma Award Winners Announced

Feb. 22, 2008 -- Workforce Oklahoma, the state's workforce system, recently held its 2008 Workforce Oklahoma Alumni Celebration, which honors the successes of everyday Oklahomans who have benefited from educational assistance, career counseling, assessment, and planning, and the many other services offered by Workforce Oklahoma centers across the state.

The annual celebration also honors Workforce Oklahoma's business clients, which benefit from the system's workforce training initiatives such as WorkKeys and Career Readiness Certificates (www.OKcommerce.gov/careerready), and the many recruitment and retention services offered to the state's employers.

Governor's Council Releases Annual Report

Feb. 1, 2008 -- The Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development recently released their annual report for 2007. The report highlights activities and accomplishments and also gives a comprehensive look at efforts and successes in the past year. It also presents a compelling case for upgrading Oklahoma's workforce for the future needs of Oklahoma businesses.

Governor's Council Helps Oklahomans Find Regional Solutions for Economic Development

Visit www.OKcommerce.gov/sectorstrategies for Institute Recap, Presentations, Grants, and More

Jan. 31, 2008 -- The Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development (GCWED) and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce recently hosted Working Hard and Working Smart: Industry Sectors Strategy Institute, a three-day workshop focusing on regional solutions to workforce challenges facing Oklahoma's primary industries and the employers within them.

OKcommerce.gov has put together a special page where you'll find: a brief recap of the Institute, presentations, state and federal grant funding opportunities and other grant resources, and contacts and other useful resources for developing your workforce and your economy.

Working Hard and Working Smart: Industry Sectors Strategy Institute

Governor and Council Approve Goals To Address Critical Workforce Needs

Oct. 3, 2007 -- The Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development approved a broad set of goals this week aimed at creating a full pipeline of skilled workers to meet the current and future demands of Oklahoma businesses.

Dubbed "Grow Oklahoma," the approved initiatives are as follows:

Growing talent, skills and knowledge;
Growing and delivering solutions for talent recruitment and retention;
Growing awareness and success of the effort to align workforce, education and economic development.

Citing a need for greater collaboration among educators and businesses, Gov. Brad Henry described a future that focuses on lifelong learning.

"We need to focus on a seamless educational system and lifelong education," Henry said. "Skills change, technologies change and companies change, and those workers that don't learn new skill sets will fall behind."

Aerospace Industry Study Results

Oklahoma will likely experience shortages of approximately 200 Aerospace Engineers and 400 Electrical Engineers by 2014, with shortages of additional engineering specialties possible in that same time frame, according to an industry report released today by the Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development. The Aerospace Industry Report, the second of a series of selected sectors, assesses supply and demand and provides a gap analysis of the current and future workforce needs of Oklahoma's aerospace industry.

Oklahoma Aerospace Industry Workforce Report 2007

Through a survey conducted in 2006 Oklahoma's aerospace employers and industry representatives identified current and future skill needs as well as workforce supply and demand.

Employer Workforce Survey Results

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce has recently released a report and detailed tables from the Oklahoma Workforce Employer Survey.

The survey was conducted in the summer and fall of 2006 of all employers in the state with over 10 employees, with the exception of food and retail establishments. Over 2,800 surveys were returned and analyzed with assistance from the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, and the Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development.

Follow the links below for the report summary, and summary data sorted by Workforce Investment Area and industry.

Workforce Survey Report 2006
Workforce Survey 2006 Data by Industry
Workforce Survey 2006 Data by WIA