From regional priority to regional action

When the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber launched Forward OKC VII, one priority quickly rose to the top: education. 

The reason is simple. As Oklahoma City continues to grow and attract new employers, developing a strong talent pipeline is essential to sustaining that momentum. Education is more than a classroom issue—it is a regional competitiveness issue. Preparing students for success means preparing Oklahoma City's future workforce, strengthening our economy and ensuring businesses can continue to grow here. 

Recognizing that connection, the Chamber partnered with nonprofit CivicLab to lead a regional education and workforce strategic planning initiative. Over the past several months, business leaders, educators, workforce partners and community organizations have participated in interviews, focus groups and community conversations designed to help shape the region's long-term vision for education and workforce development. 

Throughout those conversations, one message has remained consistent: success requires shared ownership. Building a stronger education and workforce system cannot fall on schools alone. Business leaders, higher education, CareerTech, community organizations and public partners all have an important role to play in preparing students for future careers. 

Stakeholders also emphasized the importance of strengthening connections across the cradle-to-career continuum and better aligning education with workforce needs. Employers have an opportunity to become active partners in talent development by helping students explore careers, gain real-world experience and better understand the skills needed for success in today's economy. 

The recommendations developed through this process will be shared in the coming months, providing a roadmap for strengthening education and workforce outcomes across the region. Just as importantly, they will highlight examples of the collaboration already taking place and identify new opportunities for business, education and community leaders to work together. 

We invite you to join us for the 2026 State of Education & Workforce on Aug. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The program will explore why it is critical for business, education and community leaders to come together to align education and workforce needs, strengthen career pathways and embrace a shared responsibility for preparing our region's next generation for success in a competitive, dynamic and thriving economy. 

The future of our region depends on the talent we develop today. We hope you'll join us as we continue building that future together.