WORKforce development

Purpose

To promote policy designed to more effectively provide the business community with a high quality and skilled workforce.   

2020 Legislative Initiatives

K-12 EDUCATION POLICIES, AS ADOPTED FROM OKLAHOMA ACHIEVES

• Reform Oklahoma’s school funding formula so it is more transparent, student-centered and, as much as possible, allows funding to follow a student
• Expand access to programs that expedite credential attainment, college credit through concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement courses for students statewide
• Support the passage of policies that promote school choice in order to give students free market choice when selecting the school that best meets their individual needs and oppose efforts to restrict charter school expansion
• Give public charter schools equal access to similar resources as traditional public schools
• Support computer science and technology integrated programming to prepare students for the 21st century workforce
• Provide struggling schools with innovative opportunities and strong accountability to improve their overall performance
• Reform the roles of school administrators, counselors and teachers to allow each to have a more specialized leadership role in their area of expertise

Workforce and Post-Secondary Policies

• Create incentives for hiring more STEM and critical occupation related educators in postsecondary education to meet workforce needs and to be comparable with the private sector
• Prioritize education funding and student recruitment efforts for programs and reforms designed to address current and future Oklahoma workforce needs in STEM and other critical occupations utilizing a performance review process
• Support initiatives that encourage businesses to participate in career pathways or career exploration programs that are specific to the current and future needs of Oklahoma’s economy
• Increase access and support to degree and industry endorsed skills certificate programs tied to critical occupations and support employer incentives for work-based learning programs such as apprenticeships and internships 
• Support and expand access to higher education and Career Tech programs through Oklahoma's Promise and maintain its continued funding
• Promote collaboration among education, workforce partners and the private sector to strengthen Oklahoma’s workforce pipeline and state and regional sector strategies to meet the needs of critical occupations by aligning their courses and curricula with industry-identified needs and skills
• Support research programs that will attract and leverage new federal and private funding opportunities, commercialize new technologies and create the high tech and STEM jobs needed to be globally competitive in an innovation economy
• Support strategies that address job training, placement and stability for justice involved individuals and incentivize second chance employers
• Support the expansion of Federal Pell Grant opportunities to apply toward all technology programs and qualified skilled technical workforce certificate

Issue Brief: Workforce Development (2017)
Workforce Development Member Profile: Brad Boles, President for Wilco Machine & Fab, Inc.
2016 Accountability for a Competitive Economy (ACE) Book