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Chamber workforce initiative earns Bronze Award from global organization

The International Economic Development Council honors Tulsa's NextGEN Talent program

Published Friday, September 29, 2023 2:00 pm
by Rhett Morgan

A workforce talent initiative of the Tulsa Regional Chamber was recognized as one of the best in the world during the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) annual conference last week in Dallas.

Tulsa’s NextGEN Talent (TNT), a program of the Chamber-led Tulsa’s Future regional economic development partnership, took home an IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Award (population of 500,000 or greater), capturing a Bronze in the talent development and retention category.


IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards honor the globe’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials and the year’s most influential leaders. 

“Talent retention and attraction are hallmarks of building a workforce,” said Arthur Jackson, senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “They are what companies need to thrive in an ever-changing economy. Being recognized by the IEDC not only reinforces the Tulsa’s Future mission; it makes us want to work even harder.

“Congratulations to the Tulsa’s NextGEN Talent team for the wonderful work it does in molding the minds of our young people. We also must thank Oklahoma Senator Kevin Matthews and Rose Washington-Jones of TEDC Creative Capital for their partnership and vision in helping to launch this program.” 

IEDC’s talent and retention award distinguishes economic development efforts that develop strategic approaches and programs to meet several objectives. Those efforts include strengthening the skills of the local workforce, enhancing the skill sets of low-skilled and disadvantaged workers, and increasing employment opportunities for emerging and disadvantaged workers.

TNT places Black juniors and seniors from regional public schools into Tulsa-area companies for career exploration and experiential learning. Tulsa’s NextGen Talent expansion is designed to recruit and attract young talent from universities within a four- to six-hour drive, particularly in career pathways that are traditionally difficult to source locally. That expansion of university relationships helps strengthen talent pools and increase the bachelor-degreed demographic.  

Rue Ramsey, the Chamber’s vice president of workforce and talent strategies, heads the TNT program.

“Our teams at the Tulsa Regional Chamber and Tulsa’s Future are honored and appreciate IEDC’s recognition of our innovative initiative for talent development and retention,” Ramsey said. “The investment in the lives of young people through Tulsa’s NextGEN Talent by our regional employers has been tremendous.”

Mike Neal is president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber.

“A workforce can’t survive without the consistent drumbeat of talent development,” Neal said. “This effort is a labor of love for the Tulsa Regional Chamber and our Tulsa’s Future regional economic development partnership. We share this honor for Tulsa’s NextGEN Talent with all our private, public, regional and tribal partners who have helped make this initiative a resounding success.

 

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