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Posted: May 28, 2020 8:53 AMUpdated: May 28, 2020 10:00 AM

How to Make Oklahoma's Economic Comeback Faster

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Garrett Giles

Lindel Fields, the Superintendent and CEO of Tri County Tech in Bartlesville recently wrote an article focused on Oklahoma’s – as well as America’s – economic recovery amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Oklahoma’s CareerTech system can and will bridge the economic divide. Fields said the system was designed to be flexible and forward looking to meet the ever-changing needs of job creators. He said the workforce shrinks in times of recession or economic downturn, and the people with the most experience generally find themselves in the front of the line.

Rightfully so, but those graduating from one of Oklahoma's 29 CareerTech's are newly trained workers that have a skill set that can be used in the workforce. Fields said those just graduating from a CareerTech may be more technically advanced, and they will have the most up-to-date and latest knowledge in their respected industry that may give them a competitive edge. He said the only thing they might lack is experience.

Recently, 307 students graduated virtually from Tri County Tech. In his article, Fields said:

 “Our agility comes from being locally controlled and devoid of major bureaucratic systems that tend to slow the progress of needed emerging training programs. Oklahoma’s CareerTech system can stand up a full-time training program in just a few months that produces graduates, of any age or milestone in their adult career, in less than a year.”

At Tri County Tech alone, 14 programs have been created over the past few years to meet the unique needs of companies in cybersecurity, networking, engineering, and medicine and biosciences, and to ensure our students find fulfilling and well-paying jobs.

As Oklahoma begins to reopen, Fields said employers will also be scrambling to train their existing workforce to meet new safety requirements. He said Tri County most recently started training front-line nursing assistants using virtual technology, which allows students to gain vital skills while working in the field to meet the critical need in Oklahoma’s long-term care facilities and nursing homes.

It will be challenging in the beginning for those workers graduating from CareerTech's. However, Fields said they will always have a skill set they can use at any time for future success in the workforce. He said when things get back to normal, there will always be a need for skilled labor, so their time will come, but it might come as quickly as they would have liked.

Fields said, "With the strength in our CareerTech system, and in collaboration with higher education, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the state chamber,  we must continue a vigilant dialogue with businesses to develop the training programs of tomorrow. Working together, we can get ahead and be positioned for a strong, long-term recovery that will remind the nation why Oklahoma is the best place to live, thrive, and do business."

Oklahoma is friendly to business. Fields said it is an ideal place because it located geographically in the heart of the United States, and the state's cost of living is very low. He said it also has the best CareerTech training system in the country.

In his article, Fields said, "A primary arm of the Oklahoma CareerTech system is its customized industry training programs that work directly with industry to develop, customize and deliver unique training programs to meet a specific need very quickly and inexpensively."

At Tri County Tech, their vision is to inspire success through life changing learning experiences. Ultimately, Fields said they want to provide a well-trained workforce to the communities in Nowata County, Washington County and and the eastern third of Osage County. He said they are going to offer their technical, welding, machining, business and health programs.

Most recently, Tri County Tech has ramped up their health care program to the extent that they can. Fields said they wanted to get front line nurse assistance out into the community to help during these trying times with COVID-19. He said in the foreseeable future, they will also be hosting safety trainings.

CareerTech's are uniquely positioned during a time of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic for example. Fields said they have the ability to set up training programs in a few weeks or months and turn out graduates for whatever the workforce might need. He said new technologies, new businesses, and new types of innovation are going to become available because of the pandemic, and the CareerTech system in Oklahoma will be able to focus on training to meet the new and emerging technologies now, not  yesterday.

Fields said CareerTech’s like Tri County Tech will see emerging technologies in the networking industry, and computer based programs. He said they may see more technology being integrated into jobs like construction to help them work more remotely and independently.

The idea is that the CareerTech system will allow training to occur so workers will be able to meet these growing needs in the workforce. Fields said we need to be lifelong learners, and the CareerTech system allows for that learning – that training – to happen.


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