Theright workforcetrainingatthe rightprice

Jim Light hasn’t forgotten something he learned in his 18 yearsasasmall-business owner “I think the needs of acompany when it comes to employees and retaining those employees is the same,”said Light, now aClient Services Coordinator atTulsaTech.“I found as Igot to know other business owners, no matter what business they were in, we had the same issues and problems and needs as far as doing the best we could to maintain asafe work environment and to do everything we could to find and keep the best employees.”

That is whyLight’swork withTulsa Tech’sWorkforce and Economic Development team benefits Fortune 500companies suchasAmerican Airlines and small mechanic shops: every companyneeds help solving similar problems.

TulsaTech offersmultiple branches of workforce improvement training at an affordable rate. Companies large and small can receive customizable training in areas likesafety,leadership and management.

“The whole purpose of our division is to provide the training for the existing workforce,”Light said. “There are other parts ofTulsaTech that are training high school students and adults with full-time programs to get them into the workforce. We don’t really work to help companies fill their pipeline with new people. We’rethere to help them with their existing people to help upgrade their skills or get new skills.

Heather Williams is another Client Services Coordinator atTulsaTech She says one of the advantages of TulsaTech’sworkforce training courses is flexibility.Williams said not every business can have training during traditional working hours.

“For instance, Ihave acompany going right now and we have to offer their leadership classes in the evening from 4to8sowecan catchthe first shiftand the second shift,”Williams said. “It’scustomizable. We have clients that we train on Saturdays. We’vehad our instructorsgoout at 6a.m. so I think that’sone of the biggest factors with us is being very customizable.”

Apopular courseTulsaTech offers is the Front Line leadership course. It coversworkplace culture, conflict resolution and includes employee personality testing.The objective of the course is to transform good employees into great ones.

“It’snot uncommon as companies are growing as fast as they have been these past several yearsinOklahoma, they promote agood employee into a manager or supervisor role, but that employee has never had training to do that job,”Light said. “And so, Ican’t tell you how manystories I’ve heard of this person wasafantastic employee, we moved them up, and they floundered. They weren’t prepared to do the job because they’ve never had training for it.That’swhere we can really help.”

Williams said the course contains 10 modules that eachtakefour hoursto complete. She recommends companies takeall 10 modules and complete them weekly or monthly

Thanks to how it is funded,Tulsa Tech can makeworkforce development courses affordable for every kind of business.

Companies can opt to complete the courses physically atTulsaTech’s Client Service Center,atthe company’s headquarters, online or ahybrid of online or in-person classes.TulsaTech aims to meet the needs of acompany wherever the companyis.

“Weall go in and develop a relationship with the client and find out what their needs are,”Light said. “Every client is going to be different and then we try to come up with a solution, acurriculum that would meet their needs.”

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