Narrative: IV.

On August 10, 2023 Executive Order 2023-21(EO) was filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State moving the responsibility and authority to administer the WIOA Title I programs to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission to “maximize our economic effectiveness, save taxpayer dollars, and assure that Oklahoma continues to be competitive with other states and countries.” Furthermore, the EO highlighted that “Oklahoma has the talent, employers, and conditions necessary to be a top performer in workforce development nationally” and the workforce system must give the citizens “what they deserve” which is a “coordinated workforce system that enables job seekers to find careers and employers to staff needed talent.”

OESC has been an involved partner for many years and has collaborated with workforce system stakeholders for some time before this including the Oklahoma Workforce Transformation Taskforce and since the newly formed Oklahoma Workforce Commission. In addition, OESC continues to collaborate and strengthen relationships with the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development (GCWED), the other two WIOA Core Partner state agencies, the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education and the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and the Local Workforce Development Boards including subject matter experts from these groups to focus on meeting the challenges outlined in the Transformation Taskforce report and now in the work on the Combined State Plan.

The following are examples of statewide efforts representing the work of core partner programs and the state workforce system:

• Using data to inform policy, track progress and measure success while looking at new state performance metrics, benchmarks, and targets.
• The Oklahoma Works System Oversight Subcommittee, established in 2012, is composed of Oklahoma workforce development system partners, including the Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development, the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education—Adult Basic Education, the Department of Rehabilitation Services - Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Human Services, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission--Wagner-Peyser and Title I programs representing Adults, Dislocated Workers and Youth, the State Regents for Higher Education, and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The business community is also represented. It is hoped that other entities, such as the Department of Corrections, and the Departments of Health and Mental Health will eventually be added to establish a more comprehensive approach for creating solutions and ensuring the critically needed wrap-around services that are so important in the success of Citizens who face barriers to employment. Recognizing the necessity to build a new, more responsive, workforce development system centered around meeting the needs of Oklahoma’s businesses, the team has been a cohesive unit and looks forward to the challenges ahead.
• Oklahoma is focused on accessibility for all jobseekers, businesses, and employer’s work sites throughout Oklahoma under the Access for All Initiative. The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services is leading Oklahoma’s Workforce System toward enhanced accessibility. The objective is to provide equitable services to individuals with disabilities and to ensure that all Workforce System partners comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Access for All Initiative within Oklahoma Works places a focus on the recruitment, hiring, and promotion of individuals with disabilities in the State of Oklahoma’s workforce. Access for All focuses on the Oklahoma Works system partners as well as employers in the state. The initiative provides training, consulting, and resources to ensure that individuals with disabilities are intentionally included. Access for All equips Oklahoma’s Workforce System with knowledge and resources to make it more accessible to individuals with disabilities who utilize one-stop programs in person, on the phone, or through the web. Access for All is brought to Oklahoma Works through a partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services and Oklahoma ABLE Tech (Oklahoma’s Assistive Technology Act Program).
• Oklahoma is still committed to providing youth with the skills and tools necessary for successful participation in education and training programs, resulting in credentials and/ or degrees and employment in careers in high-demand sectors. The current state of Oklahoma's youth population is constantly scanned to ensure advancement to develop a statewide plan in support of youth and a communication infrastructure that will inform and engage all stakeholders. This includes dropout prevention for youth 14 and above (14-21) and recovery strategies for those disengaged youth (16-24) years of age.