Takeaways for improving rural workforce: Bring together students, employers and multiple levels of education Build and document employee skills with micro-credentials Use apprenticeships to build skills, increase awareness of local job options Stitch together multiple 800px) to build your own workforce To add a new program in the public schools, hire dedicated program staff (at […] Takeaways for improving rural workforce: Bring together students, employers and multiple levels of education Build and document employee skills with micro-credentials Use apprenticeships to build skills, increase awareness of local job options Stitch together multiple 800px) to build your own workforce To add a new program in the public schools, hire dedicated program staff (at least part time) At the Teeny Tiny Town Summit held in Woodward, Oklahoma, a panel of local people addressed rural workforce challenges and what actions they were taking to address them. The panelists were Barclay Holt, High Plains Technology Center, Woodward, Oklahoma Joe Cox, Oklahoma Works at Oklahoma Department of Commerce Brad Griffiths, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Liz Leaming, Ponca City Development Authority, Ponca City, Oklahoma And I’ll share some additional information from: Roger Knak, Fairview Regional Medical Center, Fairview, Oklahoma Bring together students, employers and multiple levels of education To encourage local students to consider additional local career options, High Plains Technology Center offers TAP (Technical Applications Program) for sixth through 10th graders, Barclay Holt said. The project is for career exploration that leads into the full-time training 800px) at HPTC. Think hands-on welding, tool and equipment use. All of the kids get to see and participate in all of the education areas. It is held at Woodward schools in their existing buildings, and at other schools across the HPTC district. This brings together the two levels of education (career tech and public schools) in a way that didn’t require a lot of new investment. They also partner with community leaders, business owners, and parents. Build and document employee skills with micro-credentials Brad Griffiths explained UpskillOK.org, a micro-credentialing program of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. It offers a different way to approach employee training and development. Employers can collaborate with Oklahoma colleges and universities to develop a standardized credential for specific career skills. Other states and territories offer similar 800px). Just a few examples from the hundreds of current micro-credentials include: Government and Not-for-Profit Accounting Artificial Intelligence – Game Developer Mechanical Design Court Reporting Skills Many of these also connect to industry certifications, like Google Career Certificates and CompTIA. Higher education tends to measure courses in credit hours, and these micro-credentials include nine credit hours. These are smaller than the university certificates offered at some institutions, which take more hours. Micro-credentials can include learning through activities and projects, so they’re looking to connect with apprenticeship 800px) for work-based learning. Use apprenticeships to build skills, increase awareness of local job options Oklahoma Works Joe Cox has worked with local employers across the state to start apprenticeship 800px) in local businesses. When he started, most existing apprenticeships were in Oklahoma City or other metro areas. He has worked to expand to rural communities, including Watonga, Oklahoma. He said it is a program that takes someone not necessarily fully qualified and gives them a chance at employment. The program has 97% retention rate. The apprenticeship can be a one to four year program. Cox often connects employers with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services to help their clients connect with apprenticeship jobs. Connecting students to existing local employers and jobs helps increase the chances to retain young people in rural communities. Stitch together multiple 800px) to build your own workforce Roger Knak with Fairview Regional Medical Center, Fairview, Oklahoma, presented on the health care panel, and he addressed how they build their workforce. Because they employ people in a variety of fields, they have to work with multiple workforce 800px) to grow their employees’ skills. They provide stipends to support their nurses with lower level CNA certification to complete their higher level LPN degrees. For their IT needs, they have a paid internship to work with their full time IT staff person. Their lab technicians complete online training through Barton County Community College from Kansas. Roger told me that he wasn’t aware of the Oklahoma Works apprenticeship 800px) until this event. He planned to check how he could connect his IT internship to the state program. That is the power of holding local events and encouraging local networking. Grow your own workforce Ponca City, Oklahoma, has created multiple workforce 800px). Liz Leaming from Ponca Works talked about growing their own workforce. Ponca Works also uses augmented reality to give tours of local companies in a safer way. Some workplaces may not be set up for large group tours, or may have dangerous equipment. Using AR, students can get a virtual experience without compromising their safety. Some workplaces can be toured, like Lindsey Manufacturing, maker of central vacuum systems. Other workplaces are safer to tour by Augmented Reality instead. Photo courtesy of Ponca City Development Authority. Liz mentioned that lots of kids are interested in forensic science, but it is a massively under-employed field with no direct employment opportunities locally. Drawing on similar skills, some students have been redirected into microbiology jobs which are available locally, such as the local manufacturer that needs lab analysis for their animal food supplements. Ponca Works also offers a Wildcat Internship for juniors and seniors in high school. Students spend 1 to 3 hours a day at an employer. Around 30% of those students are paid. At the end of the program, around 10% get hired. There are 108 participating this year.
Improving the rural workforce: small town stories and takeaways
