BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The Tulsa Regional Chamber is expanding efforts to attract skilled workers to the region through a talent recruitment initiative aimed at helping employers fill positions in several high-demand industries.
Speaking Friday at the Chamber’s Aerospace Council meeting at CymSTAR in Broken Arrow, Rue Ramsey, the Chamber’s vice president of workforce and talent strategies, outlined the organization's ongoing efforts to recruit and retain workers for critical occupations.
“We want to be in partnership with you to ensure that you get the people you need,” Ramsey told attendees. “We’re not just talking about it. We’re doing something about it. Help us help you.”
The Chamber's talent pipeline initiative focuses on attracting workers in key occupational fields, including engineering, accounting and finance, and industrial machinery maintenance.
The program launched in September with engineering job postings on the Tulsa’s Future website and has since expanded to include additional career sectors. Through targeted advertising, job seekers can directly access employment opportunities with Tulsa-area companies.
“Why this is special is because Tulsa has never attracted or tried to get people to move to Tulsa together,” Ramsey said. “As we attract talent together, we will put Tulsa on the map.”
Approximately 30 people attended the Aerospace Council meeting, which was sponsored by Atlas School, an educational institution that trains students for careers in software engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
During the event, CymSTAR President and CEO Daniel Marticello discussed the company's work designing, upgrading and integrating advanced flight simulators and training systems for the U.S. military and allied nations. He noted that roughly 55 of the company's 120 employees in Broken Arrow are software engineers.
Additional presentations focused on workforce development and technology initiatives. Johnathan Ford, assistant director of workforce and economic development at Tulsa Tech, discussed CareerTech apprenticeship programs, while Organizely founder and CEO Tai Nehisi highlighted the benefits of Tulsa Tech Week, scheduled for Sept. 21-26.
The Tulsa Regional Chamber launched the Aerospace Council in 2020 to provide networking opportunities and facilitate collaboration among aerospace and defense industry professionals. The council meets quarterly at aerospace employers and educational institutions throughout the region.
For more information about the Aerospace Council, the Chamber encourages interested parties to contact Vice President of Economic Development Brien Thorstenberg.