Director's Memo 2026-1-12
Oklahoma CareerTech officially opened a new Skills Centers School System facility in Vinita Monday in what Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell called “the definition of a win-win for the state of Oklahoma.”
CareerTech opened the skills center at Northeast Oklahoma Community Corrections Center in 2022, but without a dedicated facility, classes were held in the maintenance and warehouse areas of the correctional center.
Classes in career readiness, welding/fabrication and transportation, distribution and logistics have now been moved into the new facility, which will allow CareerTech to prepare more NOCCC students for employment after their release from the correctional system.
“CareerTech didn’t have to do this,” Pinnell said. “CareerTech leaned in with our Department of Corrections to create a partnership so that when we send inmates back into the community, they don’t return here.
“The CareerTech system is one of the best assets the state of Oklahoma has, and every other state is jealous of it. We’ve got something no other state has.”
Read more on the Oklahoma CareerTech website.
EOC Tech plans Women Empowering Women Summit
Registration is open for Eastern Oklahoma County Technology Center’s Women Empowering Women Summit.
The conference will be March 26 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at EOC Tech in Choctaw. Speakers include Amy Walton, Marian Redwine, Andrea Golden-Pogue and Mark Wilson.
The summit is designed to encourage success for women in leadership, business and professions. Breakfast and lunch is included.
The early bird registration cost of $89 will end Jan. 31. Registration after that date will be $99.
Central Tech introduces Bristow middle schoolers to careers
A new program at Bristow Middle School is introducing students to careers with project-based learning.
Central Tech Explorers covers 13 national career clusters, with students spending two to three weeks on each one. They spend time with hands-on projects, like building wooden boxes, taking photographs, designing floor plans and more.
In the health care section, Central Tech nursing students assisted in the classrooms, teaching the middle schoolers about wearing personal protective equipment and taking vital signs.
Read more on the Bristow News website.
Mid-America Tech to host regional transition fair
Mid-American Technology Center will host a regional transition fair for students with disabilities and their parents on Jan. 26.
The fair will feature more than 30 vendors showcasing how they can help support students after high school. Vendors will include specialists in training, vocational rehabilitation, postsecondary education, financial planning, transportation, assisted living and health services.
Students, families and educators can find resources and services to promote independence and guide the students into workplaces.
Read more on the Pauls Valley Democrat website.
Useful links
Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @okcareertech and find us on Facebook at OklahomaCareerTech and on Instagram at oklahomacareertech. Find our podcast at https://www.ctconversations.org/ and watch our news show and other videos on our YouTube channel.
For news about Oklahoma’s CareerTech System, subscribe to CareerTech communications.
State Agency Assistance at a Glance
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
OK Career Guide Training Opportunities
Nothing else matters so much as long as you can come home and be with your family. -- Patrick Dempsey
