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Building a Workforce System for Economic Mobility
Today, 43% of Tulsans are not in a quality job or on a path toward one. At the same time, employers across industries struggle to find the talent they need. These aren’t separate issues, but reflect a broader disconnect within the workforce system that prevents workers and employers from connecting. The Good Jobs Initiative works to close that gap. By bringing partners together, shaping policy and guiding strategic investments, the initiative builds pathways to better align Tulsans with opportunity.
The Good Jobs Initiative is helping Tulsa’s workforce connect to meaningful, high-quality employment opportunities—tackling the underlying challenges behind job shortages and opening clearer pathways to economic mobility for both workers and employers.
Our Approach
Over the next five years, the Good Jobs Initiative is focused on helping Tulsans access good jobs through career and technical pathways for young adults, early-career workers and those looking to upskill or reskill. A “good job” means more than employment. It includes family-sustaining wages at or above the regional living wage, access to benefits like health coverage and real opportunities for advancement.
To achieve this goal, the initiative takes a strategic approach to:
- Influence policy as Oklahoma evolves its workforce system, supporting better data integration and federal funding deployment.
- Strengthen data infrastructure through partnerships with organizations like the Tulsa Labor Market Observatory, enabling clearer insights and continuous improvement.
- Position Tulsa as a learning hub for innovative workforce strategies that can inform broader policy changes.
- Create sustainable funding streams by working toward legislative action tied to performance-based pay.
- Connect employers and workforce partners like economic development organizations, business associations and industry groups to better align hiring needs with training and talent development.
- Gather workforce insights on skills and training preferences to guide smarter decisions in career navigation, program design and investment decisions.
- Improving job quality and access by working with partners to expand equitable hiring practices, wages and benefits.
