For more than 100 years, Oklahoma CareerTech has been connecting students and businesses with training opportunities that help Oklahomans find rewarding careers and support Oklahoma industries. Our goal is to develop a world-class workforce for Oklahoma employers and prepare Oklahomans to succeed in the workplace, in education and in life.
When the lockdowns went into effect, and major meat producers had to scale back production in the fight against COVID-19, many Oklahomans sought out local sources of meat. However, that highlighted a new problem: workforce shortages.
In this episode, CareerTech Horizon examines Oklahoma’s meat shortage and how teamwork from all over the state seeks to train more meat processors to prevent another shortage.
They examine how Oklahoma lawmakers responded to the initial meat shortage and began to expand the state’s local processing capacity.
They look into how CareerTech teamed up with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to train a new workforce in a partnership that paid dividends.
They hit the road to check out high schools and tech centers adding meat processing to their curriculum.
Check out the new Mobile Meat Processing Lab – a refrigerated semi-trailer converted into a classroom on wheels.
A new Oklahoma-certified beef standard seeks to help farmers and ranchers market their meat directly to consumers.
You can subscribe to the CareerTech Horizon podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn or Stitcher or ask your smart speaker to play “CareerTech Horizon.”
Also, don’t forget to follow them on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or on Facebook to stay up to date with this ongoing project. Visit their website for show notes, episode trailers and bonus content “Beyond Your Horizon” at http://cthorizon.org
This episode builds on their last episode about challenges and opportunities in agriculture. So definitely share this with the same people you shared that one with! It’s also a good way to illustrate the “why” of this program with potential students, parents, and lawmakers.
2020 has been called a lot of things, and most of them aren’t very nice. But at least one positive situation has emerged from this challenging year – a profound appreciation of our frontline health care workers.
As COVID-19 fills hospitals with critically ill patients, nursing homes battle the virus among its patients and staff, and front line nurses give countless COVID tests and now…vaccines…now, more than ever, Oklahomans owe a debt of gratitude to workers in the health care industry and those who train health care workers.
We talk about the worldwide nursing shortage and its effect on Oklahoma’s health care system.
Connie Romans tells us about a generous gift from a CareerTech grad that’s benefiting health care educators and students across the state.
We hear about some of the challenges of training students for health careers – in the middle of a pandemic.
We’re reminded that men and women can follow whatever career path they choose…especially in health care!
You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Stitcher, or ask your smart speaker to “Play CareerTech Horizon.”
Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or on Facebook to stay up to date with this ongoing project. Visit our website for show notes, episode trailers, and bonus content “Beyond Your Horizon” at http://cthorizon.org
Beyond Your Horizon — Articles, videos, and bonus content
Episode 8: “Back In The Swing of Things” — Tri County Technology Center’s “Skills To Rebuild” program focuses on training students for healthcare jobs quickly, without sacrificing quality.
When is the last time you thought about what goes into keeping power going to your home, uninterrupted?
Oklahoma’s thriving and evolving energy industry can be found in many forms. Whether it’s oil, gas, hydroelectric, wind, or solar energy, careers in this field can be lucrative and rewarding, but with a growing gap for skilled labor around the state, energy leaders hope more students sign on to technical programs to keep things going.
In this episode:
Horizon travels the state to hear from energy leaders on the challenges they are facing, and the new programs in place to help alleviate the energy skills gap.
Two students from very different backgrounds are profiled, and who are training for two very different jobs, but are ultimately working for the same goal.
They climb hundreds of feet to get a good view of the wind energy industry, and learn about the technical and safety demands of the job.
Listen in on a panel discussion, as Oklahoma’s energy experts discuss what parts of the industry will change in the coming years, and what parts will stay the same.
Episode 8: “Power Up!” Listen on your favorite podcasting app or on the Horizon website!
You can subscribe to the Horizon podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Stitcher, or ask your smart speaker to “Play CareerTech Horizon.”
Also, don’t forget to follow them on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or on Facebook to stay up to date with this ongoing project. Visit their website for show notes, episode trailers, and bonus content “Beyond Your Horizon” at http://cthorizon.org.
Has the time come for you to transition back to your normal life? Does the uncertainty of going back to school or work amidst a pandemic give you stress and anxiety?
In this episode, CareerTech Horizon takes you inside one technology center to see how they navigated their reopening with a new program for students and plenty of guidelines to keep everyone safe.
At Tri County Tech in Bartlesville, we take a look at the newly revamped “Skills To Rebuild” program, designed to train students quickly for new careers in the areas hardest hit by the pandemic.
We sit down with Tri County Tech’s CEO and Superintendent Lindel Fields and ask about how the tech center approached the shutdown and the reopening, and what this means for the future of education.
Finally, we call up CareerTech’s own Dr. Steven Aragon, a cognitive psychologist who has some advice on how to navigate these uncertain times with your family.
While you were at home during the coronavirus lockdown, did you find yourself trying to learn new “home skills?”
With people turning to things like baking and sewing, some for the first time, Family and Consumer Science teachers have suddenly found their subject in high demand. In this episode, we sit down with Terri Hollarn, a longtime FCS educator and state administrator, on how an elective class is becoming essential learning.
We also highlight the shortage of FCS teachers across the country, and the hope that this crisis may encourage more people to become teachers.
Do you remember your first car, and how liberating it was to drive on your own? Do you remember the first time that car stopped working?
In this episode, CareerTech Horizon hits the road, driving through the many parts of this growing, diverse industry in our state.
Our first stop is the Oklahoma City Auto Show, bringing together auto dealers and enthusiasts to spread the word about the opportunities of the auto industry to students.
We visit an auto service education program mixing alternative fuels into the curriculum, and the importance of playing it safe around natural gas, electric, and hybrid cars.
We fire up the not-so modern marvel of the internal combustion engine, and the oil-based fuels that power it. A journalist shares his documentary, seeking the truth about the oil industry.
Finally, we look at the bigger picture of Oklahoma’s auto manufacturing industry, and how state leaders are planning to build it up all over the Sooner State.
Are the skills you know still relevant today? Will they remain relevant in the future?
In this episode, CareerTech Horizon examines the growing partnerships between industry and education. They dive into what businesses are doing to keep instructors on the same page, and how these instructors use that knowledge to cultivate the workforce they’ll be hiring from.
American Airlines donates one of its passenger jets to CareerTech, so students in their aviation programs can work hands-on with real aircraft.
A summer camp for teachers brings educators behind the scenes at businesses their students may one day work for.
“Futuring Panels” facilitate conversation on where the industry is heading, and how educators can keep up.
What is your greatest accomplishment? Did you do it alone, or did you get help from your friends, family, or people in your community?
In this episode of CareerTech Horizon, we take a deep dive into Adult Basic Education, and share the stories of Oklahomans who turned their lives around, thanks to the right people helping, supporting, and advocating for them.
A mother, stressed from working dead-end jobs, who decided to go back to school, just as her child started her first day of school.
An adult-learning organization in Ardmore, expanding their reach in a short time, thanks to their enthusiastic staff, and the cereal boxes that immortalize their success stories.
How education plays an integral role in state inmates’ re-entry into society.
You can follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or look for us on Facebook.
You can also visit our website, cthorizon.org for show notes, and soon, bonus content, “Beyond Your Horizon.”
While you were at home during the coronavirus lockdown, did you find yourself trying to learn new “home skills?”
your friends, family, or people in your community?
n, Google, Blubrry, or the CareerTech Horizon 