Q: What types of companies are eligible for the Training for Industry Program?
A: Companies creating new full-time jobs with benefits are eligible. Specifically, this includes wealth generating companies in manufacturing, processing, business services, warehouse and distribution, and other key industry sectors.

Q: How do I get started?
A: Contact Christie Myers, Business Development Specialist with Commerce's Fast Forward Team, at 800-588-5959.

She'll set up a meeting to get to know your company's employment and training needs and provide an overview of the Training for Industry Program.

A statement of understanding or Training for Industry Program Agreement between your company, the state, and the local technology center is then written and signed by all the players. The statement includes a brief description of the types of customized programs and services that we'll provide.

Q: What other paperwork is involved?
A: The Training for Industry Program Agreement is the only thing you'll need to review and sign.

Q: Is this really a bargain?
A: Yes, it's really a no-cost/low-cost training option for your company. One of our recent Training for Industry Program clients, Alcan Packaging-North America, didn't spend any money for the pre-employment assessment, hiring, and training services it received--a fair market value of $70,000 to $100,000.

With nearly 40 years of experience and hundreds of companies annually participating in our Training for Industry Program, we've never failed to fund an agreement. We work closely with our clients to completely eliminate or significantly reduce their training expenses.

Q: Where's the "gotcha"?
A: There are no surprises and no fine print. Oklahoma's Training for Industry Program offers flexibility, freedom, an amazing broad scope of course offerings, and a minimal amount of paperwork.  And, the Commerce and CareerTech representatives you sit down with have the power to deal. We are aggressive at being creative. Commerce and CareerTech have never failed to fund an agreement.

Q: What types of training does the Training for Industry Program provide?
A: Training will be customized to meet your specific needs. We can create courses or we can provide hundreds of nationally recognized courses already available. We cover everything from company orientation, customer service, software expertise, inventory management, and supervisory development to ISO, process improvement, safety, and team development.

If we don't offer it yet and that's what your company needs, then we can make it happen.

Q: What if I'm not sure what types of training my company needs?
A: No worries. CareerTech and the Commerce Fast Forward Team brings technical, human resource, and education experts to the table who can analyze the various job functions your company plans to fill, determine the skill sets needed for those positions, develop and conduct pre-employment assessment on potential candidates, conduct any pre-employment training necessary, and help you screen the final applicants.

Bottom line: We help you hire the right person the first time.

Q: May I provide my own production process curriculum, but use one of your management training modules?
A: Of course you can because Oklahoma's Training for Industry Program is nationally known for its flexibility and aggressive pursuit of meeting a company's needs.

Q: Where do the instructors come from?
A: Literally thousands of adjunct professors are associated with Oklahoma's 56 CareerTech technology centers across the state. They are industry practitioners on the cutting-edge of their fields.

Q: May I use my own instructors?
A: Absolutely, and we'll reimburse you for the time they spend instructing.

Q: If I need to send my employees to another state or country for specialized training, are those expenses covered?
A: If specialized training is needed elsewhere, we can send those key employees that you've identified as leaders who can share what they've learned with the rest of your staff.

Q: What if I need to change my TIP Agreement?
A: When you need to make changes--as you inevitably will--there's no problem. Just give us a call, and we'll work to make the adjustments quickly and easily.

Q: Can you help us find employees?
A: We can connect you with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission to assist you in recruiting and screening potential employees. Also, the state's technology centers have a variety of validated and reliable assessment tools available.

Q: Do you provide pre-employment training?
A: Yes. We can do some training prior to employment. There's no obligation on your part to hire these trainees or on the part of the trainee to work for your company. Once pre-employment training is complete, you can select the candidates best-suited for the jobs available.

Q: What about my company's ongoing training needs?
A: Besides start-up training, Oklahoma's 56 CareerTech technology centers, 14 community colleges, numerous industry-specific technical institutes, plus a variety of public/private partnerships between business, education, and nonprofits (focused on producing and maintaining a skilled workforce across the state) can provide low-cost, ongoing customized training for your employees.

Click for more on the state's training and education network.