In the last century, Oklahoma has built a reputation as an aviation hub, from manufacturing World War II bombers to repairing Boeing 737s at the world’s largest commercial aircraft maintenance base in Tulsa. More than 200K Oklahomans work in the $44B industry—most in manufacturing and repair—making it one of the top industries in the state.

The Big Idea: Now Oklahoma, Tulsa specifically, is setting its sights on the frontier of aviation: autonomous drones. With the help of federal Build Back Better and Tech Hub grants, Tulsa Innovation Labs is working with community and technical colleges, employers, and the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance to get more workers into aerospace roles quickly and provide them with pathways to advance in their careers. As the city aims to become the “Drone Capital of the World,” the grant money is allowing them to create new short-term certificate programs aligned with employers’ current and future needs. 

In May, the Trump administration announced it was rescinding six Tech Hubs awards, but Tulsa Innovation Labs was spared. Lawrence Ganti, head of the workforce intermediary at Tulsa Innovation Labs, says aviation is one of three main industries in transition that the organization is focusing on, alongside energy and advanced manufacturing. 

“Today’s aerospace industry, especially in the Tulsa region, is all about repairing and maintaining these massive aircraft—everything from an F-35 to commercial aircraft,” Ganti says. 

“Now what’s moving into that space is significant miniaturization, and that’s where drones and autonomous systems come into play. Typically people think of them as little toys that fly around, but as their utility gets bigger and bigger, the skill sets needed for them are very different.”

Preparing for Jobs Yet to Come

Tulsa Tech, the largest technology center in the state’s CareerTech system, has taken a leading role in educating the next generation of drone operators and manufacturers—at the same time as it works to produce more airframe and powerplant mechanics for the traditional aerospace industry. 

Through the partnership with Tulsa Innovation Labs, Tulsa Tech offers nine industry-recognized certificates in advanced mobility and a pathway to apprenticeships through the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance. The tech center has had to be creative in designing the courses: while the drone industry is expected to grow exponentially in the area, most of those jobs are not yet here. 

Matt Litterell, executive director of workforce and economic development at Tulsa Tech, says the program prepares students to work in a range of advanced manufacturing roles, including but not limited to drone operation. 

“It’s a new budding industry for us, so you can’t just train several hundred people and just hope jobs come,” Litterell says. “Once people figure out they can’t get jobs with the training, they’ll quit coming to the training.” 

Courses in electrical systems, hydraulics and pneumatics, motor control, coding, and more provide students with skills to work in other industries, like food manufacturing. While seemingly very different from drones, Litterell says the core concepts apply to all. 

Funding from Tech Hubs and Build Back Better made tuition free for students—and also reduced the time they need to spend in training. Due to U.S. Department of Education rules, Tulsa Tech’s programs would normally be longer so students could qualify for financial aid. 

“What we were able to do is kind of cut the fat out of that curriculum and really just focus on the skills they need to go to work,” Litterell says. “So from the day they start until the day they are employable is just a few months.” 

A Boon for Diversity

The Tulsa-based aerospace parts manufacturer Nordam was one of the first to take on new graduates from Tulsa Tech’s advanced mobility program. In addition to the new hires, the company is also planning to send existing employees to the program. 

Bailey Siegfried, vice president of culture, communication, and human resources at the company, says the partnership with Tulsa Innovation Labs has helped the company try new things to develop talent—including taking a chance on workers with less experience.

The company, Siegfried says, can hire people based on “character and initiative,” knowing it can immediately send them to a two-week training program at Tulsa Tech. Focusing less on existing aerospace experience has allowed Nordam to not only grow, but also diversify its workforce, since most Tulsans with previous experience are white men. 

“Working with (Tulsa Innovation Labs) allows for more creativity, flexibility, and also understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish because it ultimately doesn’t hurt their feelings if we don’t go in a certain direction,” Siegfried says. “They’ll just find another way. They’re trying to solve the problem with us.”