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An educated workforce leads to better business recruitment and expansion and is key for Greater Oklahoma City’s bright future. A strong education system plays a large role in our city’s ability to recruit new residents. Strong public schools provide quality education for our children, as well as prepare a qualified workforce for our city’s future.
Through legislative efforts and projects such as MAPS for Kids and the newly launched Talent OKC, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber is working to ensure our schools produce skilled graduates who are ready to build their careers in Oklahoma.
Each year the Chamber outlines a number of legislative priorities for the annual session. Education is always a top priority, with key issues including:
Talent OKC is a new initiative bringing together employers, educators, workforce organizations, government, philanthropy and community partners to create stronger connections across Greater Oklahoma City’s education and workforce systems.
The initiative is aligning partners across the region around a shared attainment goal:
Increase the percentage of adults ages 25 to 64 with college degrees, workforce certificates and high-quality industry credentials from 48.1% to 65% by 2040.
Reaching that goal will require approximately 158,500 additional credentialed adults by 2040, or about 12,000 per year.
Greater Oklahoma City needs more residents with education and training beyond high school to meet employer demand and support continued economic growth.
Talent OKC provides a framework for employers, educators and community partners to work across systems, identify shared challenges and strengthen pathways from classrooms to meaningful careers.
Reaching 65% is not an education goal alone. It is a regional workforce and economic development goal that requires coordinated action across K-12 education, CareerTech, higher education, employers, workforce organizations, government, philanthropy and community partners.
A shared regional attainment goal will help Greater Oklahoma City:
Progress toward the 65% goal will be tracked annually through a regional scorecard measuring attainment, workforce participation, credential production, population trends and industry demand.
Reaching 65% attainment by 2040 will require participation from across Greater Oklahoma City.
Employers, educators, workforce organizations and community partners are invited to get involved in Talent OKC and help strengthen connections across the region’s education and workforce systems.
What is attainment?
Attainment refers to the percentage of working-age adults who have completed education or training beyond high school. For Talent OKC, that includes adults ages 25 to 64 with an associate degree or higher, workforce certificates or high-quality industry credentials.
Do attainment rates vary across the region?
Attainment rates differ significantly across Greater Oklahoma City’s 10-county region, ranging from about 36 percent in some areas to more than 50 percent in others. A regional goal creates a shared target while allowing strategies to reflect the different needs, challenges and opportunities of individual communities.
How is the attainment rate calculated?
The 48.1 percent rate represents the estimated share of Greater Oklahoma City adults ages 25 to 64 with an associate degree or higher, workforce certificate or high-quality industry credential. Because no single federal dataset captures workforce certificate attainment, Talent OKC uses a methodology developed by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce and the Lumina Foundation to estimate credential attainment alongside degree attainment.
Why is the goal 65 percent?
The 65 percent target reflects regional workforce demand, national benchmarking and the level of talent Greater Oklahoma City will need to remain competitive. Reaching that goal by 2040 would require approximately 158,500 additional credentialed adults in the region, or about 12,000 per year.
What is Talent OKC?
Talent OKC is a Greater Oklahoma City Chamber initiative that brings together employers, educators, workforce organizations, government, philanthropy and community partners to strengthen the region’s education-to-employment system, improve collaboration across sectors and build the skilled workforce needed for Greater Oklahoma City’s future.
What does Talent OKC mean for students?
Talent OKC is intended to help create clearer connections between what students learn and the opportunities available to them after high school. That can include greater career awareness, work-based learning, connections with employers and clearer pathways into college, CareerTech, credentials and careers.
The goal is not to direct every student toward the same path, but rather to make sure students understand their options and have the preparation and support to pursue the path that is right for them.
How is the attainment goal connected to K-12 education?
Attainment is measured among adults, but the pathway to a degree or credential begins much earlier. Students need strong academic foundations, exposure to career possibilities and clear pathways from high school into college, CareerTech, credential programs and employment.
Reaching the region’s attainment goal will require stronger connections throughout that entire continuum, including support for students and educators in K-12.
For more information about our education initiatives, please contact Rhonda Baker at (405) 297-8990 or rbaker@okcchamber.com.
