The Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Talent Connect series on Tuesday addressed the in-demand fields of accounting and finance.
Massive retirement waves, fewer graduates entering the fields and increased regulatory/compliance needs have led to a shortage of workers in those roles.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5% growth for accountants/auditors through 2034.
To that end, the Chamber convened close to 70 attendees at Hyatt Place Tulsa / Downtown to discuss how it and some of its partners are attacking the issue.
“…We've got some amazing partnerships with the Muscogee Nation,” said Dr. Dan Mabery, Northeastern State University’s vice president of university relations and external affairs. “We've got great partnerships with Cherokee Nation, with Zeeco, with Quik-Trip…
“Those partnerships don't just happen by accident. And the success doesn't happen by accident because I'm telling you right now, higher education as a whole is not set up to work directly with business and industry.”
The Chamber has launched an initiative designed to retain and attract talent in high-demand occupational clusters, including accounting/finance, engineering and industrial machinery mechanics.
It unveiled the talent pipeline program in late September by posting engineering jobs and has since added other fields. Using targeted advertising, the platform enables job seekers to directly access openings with Tulsa companies.
Tuesday, Rana McVay, director of workforce and economic development at Tulsa Tech, detailed the advantages of Oklahoma CareerTech Apprentice programs.
Also, Dr. Janet Buzzard, dean of business and technology at NSU, joined Mabery to discuss how companies are collaborating with their school on workforce strategies.
“…Many students don't fully understand what an accountant or finance manager does at their organizations,” Mabery said. “Their thoughts are that we have someone who does our taxes or it's the person on the other end of TurboTax, right?
“That's what an accountant does. And so, we need your help to sell the business and industry, your careers to these 18-year-olds that are out there who really haven't been exposed to what you all do. And by helping us, by coming into our classrooms, by engaging with higher education across the state, you all can help us develop talent that then can come into your pipeline. Then, we can also help develop some of the employees that you currently have by creating stronger employees, and you then can retain those employees and it's a win-win for everybody.”
The Chamber’s Talent Benefactors are Georgia-Pacific, TTCU Federal Credit Union, Tulsa Tech and Williams.
The Chamber’s next Talent Connect event is scheduled July 28.
