CareerTech Horizon 1-9: “Power Up!”

student stands in a classroom filled with energy training equipment explaining how career has changed her life

Francis Tuttle Tech Center Student Toni Lochrie talks about how she found a new career and new purpose in the energy industry.

When is the last time you thought about what goes into keeping power going to your home, uninterrupted?

Oklahoma’s thriving and evolving energy industry can be found in many forms. Whether it’s oil, gas, hydroelectricric, wind, or solar energy, careers in this field can be lucrative and rewarding, but with a growing gap for skilled labor around the state, energy leaders hope more students sign on to technical programs to keep things going.

In this episode:

  • We travel the state to hear from energy leaders on the challenges they are facing, and the new programs in place to help alleviate the energy skills gap.
  • We profile two students from very different backgrounds, and who are training for two very different jobs, but are ultimately working for the same goal.
  • We climb hundreds of feet to get a good view of the wind energy industry, and learn about the technical and safety demands of the job.
  • Listen in on a panel discussion, as Oklahoma’s energy experts discuss what the industry will change in the coming years, while other parts stay the same.

You can follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or find us on Facebook.

You can also visit our website, cthorizon.org, for show notes, discussion and bonus content, “Beyond Your Horizon.”

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1 Year of CareerTech Horizon! + Episode 9 Trailer

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO CAREERTECH HORIZON!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been a full year since we started this podcast! We’ve loved the opportunities to tell great stories from around the state, and we could’nt have done it without the support of you, our listeners. Thank you!

two students work in energy program at technical schoolNEXT TIME: EPISODE 9 — “Power Up!”

We may sometimes take it for granted, but energy is a critical resource in keeping our lives going. Oklahomans have been doing their best to capture and harness energy in many forms, and new statewide initiatives seek to further the Sooner State’s energy workforce.

On the next episode of CareerTech Horizon, we bring you the stories from the evolving world of energy, and the students and workers ready to ride its wave.

 

Subscribe today on your favorite podcast app to be the first to hear our episode when it comes out, next week!

CareerTech Horizon 1-8: “Back In the Swing of Things”

a student works on a machining project in the classroom. Everyone is wearing a facemask

Has the time come for you to transition back to your normal life? Does the uncertainty of going back to school or work amidst a pandemic give you stress and anxiety?

In this episode, CareerTech Horizon takes you inside one technology center to see how they navigated their reopening with a new program for students and plenty of guidelines to keep everyone safe.

  • At Tri County Tech in Bartlesville, we take a look at the newly revamped “Skills To Rebuild” program, designed to train students quickly for new careers in the areas hardest hit by the pandemic.
  • We sit down with Tri County Tech’s CEO and Superintendent Lindel Fields and ask about how the tech center approached the shutdown and the reopening, and what this means for the future of education.
  • Finally, we call up CareerTech’s own Dr. Steven Aragon, a cognitive psychologist who has some advice on how to navigate these uncertain times with your family.

You can follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or find us on Facebook.

You can also visit our website, cthorizon.org, for show notes, discussion and bonus content, “Beyond Your Horizon.”

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TRAILER – CTH 1-8: “Back In The Swing Of Things”

Three students, wearing face masks are sitting at their computers in a classroom.

While the world around us changes rapidly, some may choose to hang on to the familiar things in life.  For others, this may be the perfect time to make changes for themselves.
Next time on CareerTech Horizon, we go to TriCounty Tech in Bartlesville, where a new take on an old program trains students for a new career in less than a month, so they can fill some of the most pressing needs of their community. All that, during a pandemic that has forced educators to re-think what school looks like.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app or platform, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Or, ask your smart speaker to “Play CareerTech Horizon.”

CareerTech Horizon 1-7: “Feels Like Home”

While you were at home during the coronavirus lockdown, did you find yourself trying to learn new “home skills?”

With people turning to things like baking and sewing, some for the first time, Family and Consumer Science teachers have suddenly found their subject in high demand. In this episode, we sit down with Terri Hollarn, a longtime FCS educator and state administrator, on how an elective class is becoming essential learning.

We also highlight the shortage of FCS teachers across the country, and the hope that this crisis may encourage more people to become teachers.

You can follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or find us on Facebook.

You can also visit our website, cthorizon.org for show notes, discussion, and bonus content, “Beyond Your Horizon.”

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TRAILER — CTH 1-7: “Feels Like Home”

A freshly baked loaf of homemade bread

In the age of social distancing and “safer at home” orders, many people have had to brush-up on their home-making skills. These skills, often taken as electives in high school curriculum, have now become what many consider essential.

Next time on CareerTech Horizon, we sit down with a longtime Family and Consumer Sciences educator and reflect on these skills returning to prominence.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app or platform, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Or, ask your smart speaker to “Play CareerTech Horizon.”

CareerTech Horizon 1-6: “Driving Progress”

A hybrid pulls into the auto classroom at Southern Tech in Ardmore, OK

Do you remember your first car, and how liberating it was to drive on your own? Do you remember the first time that car stopped working?

In this episode, CareerTech Horizon hits the road, driving through the many parts of this growing, diverse industry in our state.

  • Our first stop is the Oklahoma City Auto Show, bringing together auto dealers and enthusiasts to spread the word about the opportunities of the auto industry to students.
  • We visit an auto service education program mixing alternative fuels into the curriculum, and the importance of playing it safe around natural gas, electric, and hybrid cars.
  • We fire up the not-so modern marvel of the internal combustion engine, and the oil-based fuels that power it. A journalist shares his documentary, seeking the truth about the oil industry.
  • Finally, we look at the bigger picture of Oklahoma’s auto manufacturing industry, and how state leaders are planning to build it up all over the Sooner State.

You can follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or find us on Facebook.

You can also visit our website, cthorizon.org for show notes, discussion, and bonus content, “Beyond Your Horizon.”

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CTH 1-6: “Driving Progress”

(Note: Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we will be postponing our originally planned episode on this year’s “Making It Work” award recipients. However, we will continue to bring you new, great stories in the meantime.)

Students rebuild car engine at competition

With more than 100 million passenger vehicles in America today, it pays to be in the automotive business. But with new technology speeding ahead at a breakneck pace, it’s important for technical education programs to keep up.

We’ll take you inside the OKC Auto Show where students show off their skills and network with potential employers and educators. We’ll also take you inside one such program, where electric, hybrid, and natural gas vehicles are part of the curriculum. Auto shops and dealerships have a stake in this too, as they look for new and innovative ways for workforce development.

Subscribe now on the podcast app or website you found us on! And check out our previous 5 episodes for some great, positive stories in this time of uncertainty. Or, ask your smart speaker to “Play CareerTech Horizon.”

CareerTech Horizon 1-5: “Growing Partnerships”

How did you learn the skills you have now?

Are the skills you know still relevant today? Will they remain relevant in the future?

In this episode, we examine the growing partnerships between industry and education. We’ll dive into what businesses are doing to keep instructors on the same page, and how these instructors use that knowledge to cultivate the workforce they’ll be hiring from.

  • American Airlines donates one of its passenger jets to CareerTech, so students in their aviation programs can work hands-on with real aircraft.
  • A summer camp for teachers brings educators behind the scenes at businesses their students may one day work for.
  • “Futuring Panels” facilitate conversation on where the industry is heading, and how educators can keep up.

You can follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or find us on Facebook.

You can also visit our website, cthorizon.org for show notes, discussion, and bonus content, “Beyond Your Horizon.”

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TRAILER – CTH 1-5: “Growing Partnerships”

Next time on CareerTech Horizon, we go aboard a recently retired passenger jet that’s now a classroom with wings for students looking to take off in the airline industry.

It’s just one of many ways business and industry partner with technical education; a partnership that grows both ways.

Subscribe today on the platform you found us on to get instant access to our roundtable discussion when it releases.

CareerTech Horizon is now on Spotify! Find us here.