Growing Oklahoma’s pool of skilled workers to expand our state’s economy takes training opportunities.
Angel Anders is learning carpentry at the Tulsa Technology Center’s Lemley Campus. Her instructor is John Antonelli. Students in his course will learn a wide range of skills. “All the way from framing all the way through and including cabinet making.”
Hammering is one of the first skills Angel and other students in her class need to master. Doing it right isn’t as simple as you might think. She told 2 News Works for You, "It take little bit of practice to drive it straight and everything. It's pretty straight forward after you take a few swings."
Students enrolled in Tulsa Tech’s certification courses for carpentry, heat and air and welding are in especially high demand. They are frequently recruited by local businesses before they even complete their programs. Students attending all day programs can earn certifications in welding or carpentry in just a few months. Many students only attend half day programs that take longer to complete.
Learning skills that are in big demand is exciting for Angel. She said, "It makes me feel like I definitely have a secure future to look forward to."
This fall, Tulsa Tech classes are at or over capacity, and many have waiting lists for enrollment. In all, more than 6,000 students are taking a variety of skilled worker courses this semester. When students finish training they can look forward to earning good starting pay according Lemley Campus Director, Shea Ferrell, "Close to $20 an hour."
That works out to starting pay of more than $40,000 a year.
Click here to learn more about the skilled worker training courses offered by Tulsa Technology Center. https://tulsatech.edu/category/class/
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