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Claremore Economic Development reports workforce portal use, scholarship pilot that served 152 people
Summary
Claremore Economic Development presented quarterly workforce metrics — including 190 companies on the county job portal and 3,355 site visits — and described a scholarship pilot that awarded training to 152 individuals (88% from low- to moderate-income households); staff said CDBG funds for the initial round are expended and follow-up outcome tracking is ongoing.
Claremore Economic Development presented a quarterly update on workforce development that highlighted activity on the county career portal and results from a workforce scholarship pilot with Northeast Tech.
Silas Ellis, introduced by economic development staff as the city’s new workforce and talent lead, said the portal lists 190 companies and had roughly 3,355 visits in the last quarter; 75 users had set job alerts, 1,530 job links were clicked, and the portal recorded more than 200 application submissions and 12 direct application confirmations during the quarter.
Ellis and staff described a scholarship pilot that awarded training to 152 participants in partnership with Northeast Tech; they said 88% of recipients were from low- to moderate-income households and that the most popular programs were in health care (phlebotomy, CNA, LPN) and manufacturing (CNC, welding, CDL). Ellis noted the program earned recognition as a 2024 IEDC Excellence in Economic Development (gold) award.
Staff said the scholarship funding for the initial round came from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars and that those funds are currently expended; no new applicants are being accepted from the initial tranche. They said additional county funding tranches may be available and that the city is collecting a needs list and pursuing permanent funding options. Staff added the city had recently received an additional $12,000 that will support enrollments beginning in January; longer-term outcome tracking of graduates (including whether they remain employed in Rogers County) will continue and preliminary outcome data is expected in the coming quarters.
Council members asked about FAFSA eligibility, partial scholarships, and demographic cohorts; staff said follow-up tracking will cover outcomes for up to three years and described two prominent age cohorts among participants (18–24 and 50–51), noting the program offers short-course options that better fit adult learners’ schedules.
The presentation closed with announcements about Manufacturing Month outreach and a Small Business Saturday event planned for Nov. 30.
