The Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development (GCWED) and the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development (OOWD) announce the award of six Impact Partnership Grants for investment in workforce growth.
Impact Partnerships promote and fill high-demand occupations in Oklahoma and strive to build lasting, collaborative relationships between business, education, workforce development, economic development and government and community organizations.
The Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development awarded five new applicants up to $175,000 to invest in their industry-led, collaborative community projects. A total of $1,000,000 in funding will be allocated to the awardees, extension projects, and Regional Workforce Boards.
The 2022 Impact Partnership Grant recipients are:
- Oklahoma Rural Water Association (ORWA): ORWA represents 352-member utility system/partners across the state. ORWA plans to work with education and community partners to create a sustainable workforce for the essential water sector for Oklahoma.
- The STEAM Engine: A collaborative of companies in the areas of Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), the Steam Engine includes industry leaders such as ADG, Blatt Architects, CMS Willowbrook, Guernsey and J.E. Dunn to build a cohesive AEC ecosystem that taps into the resources of the community and its partners to create a thriving AEC workforce.
- Enid Regional Development Alliance: Aerospace is the second largest and fastest growing industry sector in Oklahoma. The Enid Regional Development Alliance will use the Impact Partnership Grant to promote careers in aerospace including maintenance and repair and pilots as well as developing a pipeline for existing aviation support careers.
- Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation (BAEDC): As a STEM Workforce Center of Excellence, the BAEDC plans use the Impact Partnership Grant to create a navigable ecosystem for STEM education, training and career pathways. Their mission is to connect talent with education partners and businesses in engineering.
- Southern Workforce Board: The Southern Workforce Board is a consortium between the Southern Workforce Board, Murray State College and the Executive Committee of JBAMM (Johnston, Bryan, Atoka, Marshall and Murray County regions) with additional resources from local chambers, education partners and community partners. The Southern Workforce Board will use the Impact Partnership Grant to create a healthcare sector partnership. This will aid in building a talent pipeline for future and current demand in the healthcare industry.
- Premier Logistics: Premier Logistics represents businesses from the Transportation and Distribution ecosystem. Premier has a consortium of supply chain logistics companies, community partners, and education partners who help to make a significant and lasting contribution to the workforce in this industry.
Additionally, the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development has offered the qualifying awardees from last year a $50,000 extension to continue their work this fiscal year.
To further continue with promoting the message on the importance of industry partnerships, the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development has allotted dollars to all the state’s Workforce Boards.
“The purpose of Impact Partnership Grants is to connect business and industry with workforce services through local collaboration and leadership. The application process was a road map for success and the five awardees are on their way to making a lasting difference for Oklahoma’s workforce. Special thanks to the Governor’s Council for making these grants possible,” said Don Morris, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development.
About the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development:
Oklahoma Works is designed to increase the wealth of all Oklahomans through facilitating quality employment for workers and ready availability of highly skilled talent for business and industry. Oklahoma Works’ strategic priorities are coordinated by the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development. Learn more at www.oklahomaworks.gov.
About the Oklahoma Department of Commerce:
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is the primary economic development entity in the state. The organization is responsible for supporting local communities, stimulating growth of the existing businesses, attracting new business, and promoting the development and availability of a skilled workforce. Commerce also works to foster an entrepreneurial culture and infrastructure in Oklahoma to encourage the start-up of new businesses and partner with communities to ensure existing businesses grow and prosper.
