What does it take to reinvent a community, revive a local economy, and reinvigorate a workforce? In this five-part Work in Progress podcast series – Destination Tulsa: Tech Hub in the Heartland – we look at how Tulsa, Oklahoma, is embracing in-demand tech industries to do just that. At the heart of the effort is a strong foundation of education, entrepreneurship, health care tech, energy tech, and cybersecurity.

In the first episode of Destination Tulsa: Tech Hub in the Heartland, we explored how this city, once known mostly for oil, gas, and aerospace, now has big plans to be a major player in several technology fields. To do that, stakeholders from the Oklahoma governor, to Tulsa’s core universities, to its entrepreneurial ecosystem, are working together, with the help of the Tulsa Innovation Labs, to take a coordinated approach to tech growth

This time, we look at educational opportunities helping Tulsans – including some very young Tulsans – get a start in tech. What’s more, the leaders of schools and workshops are invested in making sure those tech careers are achievable for everyone.

In this episode, hear from:

Libby Ediger, executive director of Holberton School Tulsa, a global network of software engineering schools that are teaching software programming in less time than it takes to get an associate degree

Pete Selden, vice president for workforce development at Tulsa Community College, which is helping prepare students for the tech sector to entry- and mid-level jobs with associate degrees and short-term certificate programs

Leigh Goodson, president and CEO of Tulsa Community College, on the effort to increase diversity and inclusion in the Tulsa tech community through strong, affordable career pathways

Sal Aurigemma, associate professor at The University of Tulsa, and instructor helping build interest in STEM jobs through a training program that is helping the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma get a badge in cybersecurity

Mikeal Vaughn, founder and executive director of Urban Coders Guild, which offers a free course to middle schoolers from underrepresented communities in IOS app development and web design.

You'll also hear from Urban Coders Guild instructor Will Smith (a Tulsa Community College professor), student Quentin Roebuck and Quentin's mom, Shardé RoebuckTaylor.

You can listen to the full conversation here, or look for the Work in Progress podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Destination Tulsa: Tech Hub in the Heartland is made possible by the support of Tulsa Innovation Labs.

Episode 220: Destination Tulsa: Educational Pathways to a Career in TechHost & Executive Producer: Ramona Schindelheim, Editor-in-Chief, WorkingNationProducer: Larry BuhlExecutive Producers: Joan Lynch and Melissa PanzerTheme Music: Composed by Lee Rosevere and licensed under CC by 4.0Music for Destination Tulsa series: From Bensound.comDownload the transcript for this podcast here.You can check out all the other podcasts at this link: Work in Progress podcasts