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SOIC Activities

Speaking of SOIC, recently SOIC was awarded two grants, one from the Economic Development Administration and one from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Economic Development Administration awarded the Center for Economic and Business Development at Southwestern Oklahoma State University a grant for $97,850 in its first year of funding. The grant focused on establishing the Southwest Oklahoma Enterprise Institute (SOEI) – 2010, a consortium proposed by SWOSU and its SOIC partners, will be to assist emerging regional businesses as they develop their capabilities to improve future economic development of the region.

More than 100 companies that foster high-skill, high-wage job creation and private sector investment have been identified through the e-Synchronist™ survey of the region. Emerging and expanding businesses relating to this segment of the economy will be selected to receive one-on-one technical assistance from collaborative SOIC partners and identified extended partners.

Extended partners currently include the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center, the Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence, and Oklahoma Career Tech Centers. To build capacity for future economic development, collaborative and extended partnerships will be added. The organization will expand their capability to provide direct technical assistance to enterprises with the potential for growth and the creation of jobs by strategically locating skilled staff throughout the region. Alliances with resource providers, to provide the necessary capabilities to meet immediate company needs, will be formed until such capabilities are developed within organizations in the region. Seventy per cent of the Southwest Oklahoma Enterprise Institute – 2010 (SOEI) project resources will be spent on organizing, supporting and providing direct technical assistance to qualifying companies, and disseminating information regarding the activities of the project. “Assistance Tracking” procedures that are a component of the e-Synchronist business expansion and retention model will provide the format for selection and documentation of these activities. Thirty per cent of project resources will be spent on conducting applied research. A primary target of the research will be to ascertain the most efficient and effective process to use in the implementation of internships in high-skill designated business and industry.

The U.S. Department of Labor dislocated worker demonstration grant will be used to help BRAC-affected civilian workers, military spouses, and exiting service members transition to careers in growing industries.

SOIC plans to use the funding to support activities that create employment opportunities and improve the overall quality of life for area workers. Those activities include attracting and recruiting qualified workers for employment in regional industries; expanding the education and workforce development infrastructure to support industry- specific education and training programs; and assisting current workers in obtaining credentials and licensures.

"As a result of today's funding, Oklahoma will be modeling innovative approaches to regional BRAC-related economic transformation," says Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "Providing workers with in-demand education and skills not only will have the immediate effect of meeting employment needs, but also will lay the groundwork for long-term talent development and regional economic growth."