Preparing a Workforce

Central Technology Center, part of the Oklahoma CareerTech system, works toward closing the skills gap.

Each program and service area at Central Tech gains leadership and cooperation from the private sector through advisory committees comprised of business and industry partners, former students, parents, and agencies who guide program direction.

Committee recommendations provide an effective means in aligning and teaching relevant curriculum using today’s technology and equipment, along with the employability skills needed for success and ensuring a productive workforce for Oklahoma’s economy.

In addition to current programs, Central Tech Advisory Committees help determine future high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand jobs for tomorrow’s workforce. Central Tech can then establish new courses to meet the upcoming demands of the workforce.

It takes a skilled workforce to bring big ideas to life, and Oklahoma’s economic development projects are no different. CAD drafters, engineering technicians, electromechanical technicians, construction workers, electricians and HVAC technicians are all needed to build a business structure from the ground up.

We are not just designing buildings. Our blueprint generates new infrastructure, creates jobs, expands the economy and powers Oklahoma’s economic engine.

Since Central Tech collaborates with business and industry partners, instruction remains career-focused, aligning the necessary credentials with the high-demand occupations in our district. Curriculum incorporates problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork into the assignments. Students complete their training by earning industry-recognized certifications/licensure driven by the demands of these high-skill industry sectors.

Central Tech currently maintains 94% placement for students entering the workforce or continuing their education. Of those in the workforce, 88% of working graduates are employed in jobs related to their career major.

The Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development predicts that by 2025, more than half of all new jobs will require advanced credentials through associates/certificate/credential training and less than one quarter of all jobs will require a bachelors’ degree or higher. Central Tech is the economic engine connecting education and training to specific jobs, resulting in the production of a relevant workforce in Oklahoma.

Central Tech is the economic engine connecting education and training to specific jobs, resulting in the production of a relevant workforce in Oklahoma.