Building stronger pathways from classroom to career

For many students and families, the journey from education to a successful career is not always straightforward. While Oklahoma City continues making progress in workforce development and talent attraction, barriers still exist that can make navigating education and career pathways difficult for learners.

Those barriers are not always academic. Transportation, childcare, limited career awareness, and difficulty navigating available programs can all impact a student’s ability to connect education to career opportunities.

"Every student deserves a clear path from the classroom to a successful career. I am grateful to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and CivicLab for bringing education, workforce, business, and community partners together to help remove barriers and create stronger pathways for students and families,” said Dr. Jamie Polk, superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools. “This work is about helping students see what is possible, connecting learning to real-world careers, and ensuring they have access to opportunities in the high-demand fields our city needs most. Together, we are building a stronger talent pipeline and a brighter future for Oklahoma City."

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has been working alongside education, workforce and community partners alongside consultant CivicLab to better understand the barriers learners face navigating education-to-career pathways and identify opportunities for stronger alignment across systems.

When systems are disconnected, students can struggle to see a clear path between education and careers, while employers continue facing workforce shortages in critical industries such as healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing, and skilled trades.

That is why career awareness and career-connected learning have become increasingly important conversations across the region.

Exposure to internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, career fairs and mentorship opportunities can help students better understand what careers are available and how their education connects to those opportunities.

Chamber launches regional education and workforce strategy with CivicLab.

“Students and families should be able to clearly see how education connects to career opportunities,” said Rhonda Baker, director of education for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. “Clearer pathways and more career-connected learning opportunities help students make informed decisions about their future.”

Local educators, workforce organizations, employers and community leaders continue working through CivicLab to create stronger connections between classrooms and careers.

“Through CivicLab, stakeholders across the region are working together to better understand the barriers students and families face and identify stronger pathways from classroom to career,” said Christy Gillenwater, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

As industries continue evolving, building clear and accessible paths into high-demand careers will remain important not only for students and families, but also for Oklahoma City’s long-term economic growth and workforce competitiveness.

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s State of the Schools event on Aug. 5 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum will continue these conversations, bringing together education leaders, employers and community stakeholders to discuss opportunities and next steps for the region.