Career Cluster Institute Held in Tulsa

Local educators and industry leaders joined more than 350 Oklahomans on 22 teams to “embrace the challenge” of strengthening economic development and Oklahoma’s workforce at the Career Cluster Institute Feb. 22-23 in Tulsa. The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education sponsored the Institute.

Using the national Career Cluster framework the teams worked to build plans that reflect the needs of their communities.

“The plans created by each team will affect future local economic prosperity,” according to Robin Schott, innovative initiatives and services manager at the state CareerTech agency

Nine of the 16 national clusters were represented at the institute and include Health; Architecture and Construction; Transportation; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Manufacturing; Law Enforcement; Hospitality; Business (accounting emphasis); and Human Services

“Each team selected one of the 16 clusters to focus on, bringing local education and industry representatives to build their plan of action at the institute,” Schott said. “Representatives from middle schools, high schools, technology centers, colleges, business partners, and workforce and economic development entities, worked together developing strategies to implement creating seamless educational experiences for their students.”

A variety of experts were on hand to provide information and resources to the teams.

“Teams learned of workforce challenges, connected career clusters to economic development and developed local strategic plans to implement upon returning home,” Schott said.