Program bridges the skills gap
As the unemployment rate in Oklahoma and across the country reaches record lows, it's becoming increasingly difficult for employers to find qualified applicants for high-skill positions. There's a skills gap between the available workforce and the positions that businesses must fill to continue to grow.
Employers play a vital role in workforce development and they're increasingly turning to work-based learning programs like apprenticeships and internships to grow their ideal workforce.
At Dell EMC in Oklahoma City, we were having trouble finding talent with the necessary skills to fill IT positions for client support services.
Through Oklahoma Works, an initiative of the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development, Dell EMC Oklahoma City found local partners and created a tailored apprenticeship program that fulfills our needs while starting young people out on a lucrative and rewarding career path.
Working with ASTEC Charter School in Oklahoma City, we created a program in which apprentices start working at Dell EMC on a part-time basis during their senior year of high school. They also take IT classes at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.
Apprentices complete a second year of work and classes and then transition into full-time employment at Dell EMC. If those former apprentices want to pursue a
four-year degree, we support that and offer partial tuition reimbursement.
We've just completed the first wave of apprenticeships and the reaction has been exceptional. Our clients are pleased with the service we provide, and the former apprentices are working in higher-paying jobs just one year out of high school.
This program is not just a win for Dell EMC and for the apprentices — it's a win for our industry. We are growing the talent that we will need in the future. These young people, who have only known a virtual world, will be the ones who will expand technological horizons and push the technology to evolve even further.
Ours is one success story, but there are thousands of other work-based learning successes across every business and industry. Oklahoma Works can help design and customize a program to meet any employer's needs. Every employer that struggles with staffing should explore this vital resource.
For more information about Oklahoma Works, visit oklahomaworks.gov or call (405) 945-6708.
We've just completed the first wave of apprenticeships and the reaction has been exceptional. Our clients are pleased with the service we provide, and the former apprentices are working in higher-paying jobs just one year out of high school.