Workforce commission lays out Opportunity Oklahoma portal, data dashboard and kiosk pilots

The Oklahoma Workforce Commission told the appropriations committee it is building a single-entry digital system and data dashboard to connect job seekers, students and employers across 16 state agencies.

Director Gayet described Opportunity Oklahoma and Compass (an AI triage tool) as a single front door that will guide Oklahomans to training and services, and previewed WIRE (Workforce Insights Reporting Engine) to display publicly available data with future versions ingesting agency datasets. "We want to make sure we're getting the most impact for the dollars that you invest," Gayet said, and added that the commission has interviewed roughly 2,000 businesses this year to align training with employer needs.

The commission proposed pilots including 25 live kiosks and 25 desktop units for chambers, schools and community hubs to increase access where people already go. Gayet warned that much of the commission’s early work was ARPA-funded and that sustaining dashboards, coalitions and pilot programs will require recurring or flexible funding.

Why it matters: The plan addresses perceived redundancy in workforce spending—Gayet said roughly $2.6 billion has been invested over the last two years across 16 agencies—and aims to make that investment more accountable and measurable with key performance indicators tied to job placement and career earnings rather than enrollment counts.

Next steps: The commission will continue data-integration pilots, supply target metrics, and seek funding for staffing, analytics and portal development.