Rob:  While losing a job is certainly a challenge, it can also be an opportunity to upgrade skill sets for our ever-changing economy, which is where Oklahoma’s Department of CareerTech can help.  Joining me now are Dr Phil Berkenbile, Justin Smedley, and Dennis Ruttman, to tell us more.  Well, the latest numbers, jobless rate, five-point-nine, released last week, here in Oklahoma, how could someone take advantage, Dr Phil, of the help that CareerTech can offer?
Phil Berkenbile:  Well, I think there’s several ways that they can take advantage of that.  In our technology centers, we offer skill upgrade training.  Or they can, while they’re employed, upgrade their skills for a better job, a new job.  Or if they’re furloughed, or laid-off, or something like that, they can come back and get the help, financial help, and also some short-term training while they’re in that status that will hopefully get them re-employed in another area.  A classic example of this is, when the Quickset Plant closed, at Central Tech, they came back to the technology centers; they were tested, and found out that most of the people over there had a high level of knowledge about health.  They put a lot of those people back through the program and got them employed in a lot of the health companies in the Tulsa area.
Rob:  Now, Justin, Dr Phil mentioned the financial help.  What is actually out there?
Justin Smedley:  There’s a number of programs at the federal level that are available.  CareerTech is a part of the State Rapid Response Team.  Lynda Baird, at OESC, is responsible for the Trade Adjustment Act dollars that are available to the state for those specific companies.  And then CareerTech has a program, the Employee Assistance Resource Network, that’s a companion resource to fill gaps for federal guidelines that an individual may not qualify for.
Rob:  Okay.  And when someone loses a job, Dennis, sometimes you feel like, gosh, I’ve got to get back to work right now, but sometimes some short-term training is what is needed, and it’s available all across the state.
Dennis Ruttman:  Absolutely.  I think that if we look at what people go through when they’re faced with this situation, a lot of times their first thing is hopelessness.  They look at themselves and go, gosh, I only know how to do this.  When in reality, they’ve probably picked up a lot of skills over the years, in their current experiences, that they don’t realize they have.  The Oklahoma CareerTech system, in partnership with the Department of Commerce, offers the ACT Work Keys Assessments, at any of our technology centers, at no charge.  After you’ve gone through an assessment of that type, it will help you identify the skills that you actually have, and tie that directly to jobs that you would potentially be able to go do.  To go along with that, if there is some areas that you need to improve your academic-type skills, the Key Train Curriculum, which is an online curriculum, is also free of charge to help elevate that.  But once we’ve identified skill gaps, it’s a perfect opportunity for that person to go to their local technology center and pick up the pieces they need to be successful in another career.  They’re a lot better off sometimes, than they realize.
Rob:  So, Dr Phil, as we’ve seen, while some sectors of the economy may well be contracting, others are certainly growing.
Berkenbile:  Yes, we’re seeing numbers across the state whether it’s in the I T field, or whether it’s in healthcare, some truck driver programs, that the numbers are out there, and they’re hiring more and more people, and in fact, there are shortages in some of those areas, especially in the healthcare field.
Rob:  So, are there certain areas, Justin, that people should focus on if they’ve maybe lost a job?
Smedley:  Yeah, we see statewide several industries that are growing.  Energy, healthcare, and when we say energy, that’s very broad in traditional oil and gas.  Energy, within new emerging areas such as wind energy, there’s a number of jobs that are popping up relative to the Woodward area, Oklahoma City, where there is actually a number of technician related opportunities for individuals to go into the wind energy sector.  
Rob:  And, Dennis, this is training that can be quite flexible.
Ruttman:  You bet.  For that person that we can’t get into the regular schedule, we offer classes at night as well as during the daytime.  We’re very, very flexible to try and make sure we meet everybody’s needs we can.
Rob:  What’s your best advice to someone that may be out of work, Justin?
Smedley:  Out of work, most of the time we have found that the key to our response is catching them at the facility before they’re ever laid off.  If a person has kind of fell through the cracks, or slipped, to reach out to the technology center, the tech centers across the state are available and can be that center point to connect to resources.  Oftentimes that individual is in a scary frame of mind.  They have a family to feed, and don’t really quite know what direction to go.  And the tech center is there, localized in that community, to be a resource.  And they can connect to the state and the federal resources, to get that individual what’s needed in a very quick timeframe, to get them re-careered and back into the workforce making income to feed their family.
Rob:  And the important part here is that the help is out here.  But really this kind of speaks to a larger proposition in that while we’re talking about job loss right now, retraining is something that’s just part of today’s economy.  Is it not?
Berkenbile:  Well, you know, we’re in a situation whether you’re talking about CareerTech or any postsecondary education, we’re lifelong learners.  It used to be you would change jobs maybe three times in your lifetime.  Now it’s went from seven to thirteen times, they’re saying.  So, it’s necessary for all of us to be lifelong learners, and acquire the skills that will take us to the next level.
Rob:  Well, all right, gentlemen thank each of you for being here.  Now we have links on our website to Workforce Oklahoma.  It’s a good first stop for anyone out of work.  Plus, we also have a web only feature on retraining for the aerospace industry.