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 programs to build your own workforce To add a new program in the public schools, hire dedicated program staff (at […]

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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 programs 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 programs 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 programs.

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 programs 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 programs 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 programs 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 programs 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 programs 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 programs. Liz Leaming from