Across the Oklahoma City metro, school districts are reimagining workforce development and career readiness for high school students to meet the growing demands of both students and employers. Thousands of students are gaining hands-on skills, industry certifications and paid internships in high-demand fields like real estate, aviation, construction and graphic design, which can launch them into careers straight out of high school. Educators say they’re responding to what students are asking for: more options beyond a traditional four-year degree — and to what industries are demanding: skilled, work-ready employees who can fill critical gaps in the local workforce.
Career readiness begins freshman year
With the help of Moore Public Schools, McKenzie Gregory became a real estate agent before she finished high school.
Gregory learned to flip a house, obtained a real estate license and was hired by a local agency before she graduated from Moore High School on May 21.
“I’ve always had an interest in real estate,” Gregory said in a video produced by the district.
Gregory took advantage of an internship provided by Moore Public Schools through its career tech program, the final step in a career readiness and exploration journey that begins freshman year.
“The goal is to show students the resources, options and avenues that are available and let them select what’s best for them,” said Rocky Dickinson, the district’s career education coordinator. “When they leave, they’re either employable or ready to take that step into a college major.”
Aviation, aircraft maintenance, computer repair and graphic design are among the career pathways offered by Oklahoma’s fourth-largest school district.
The program’s popularity is on the rise in Moore, where 4,000 of the district’s 7,000 high school students have signed up to take career tech courses. The number of instructors will increase from 42 to 55 in the coming school year.
“We’re seeing students move away from student debt and the idea that you must attend college,” said Dickinson. “They realize that with certifications and other opportunities they can be just as employable and have just as great a career.”
The process includes interest assessments, competency-based instruction that leads to industry certification and workplace field trips.
Letting students test-drive their futures
Krissa Cavnar, a Moore High career specialist, says internships that pair as many as 200 seniors with prospective employers for five hours a week let them “try out a career.”
“They can go spend time with a mentor in that line of work and see if that’s what they want to do after high school,” said Cavnar. “It’s super awesome for the kids to get to see if this is the path they want to follow and start making those connections with those future employers.”
According to Dickinson, 30 percent of high school students in Oklahoma are going to college and 30 percent are going to “some type of technical school or gaining certification by the time they graduate.”
“And then we have this huge group of 40 percent that we’ve still got to engage and give them opportunities after high school,” said Dickinson.
Dickinson hopes a new graduation requirement in Moore requiring incoming freshmen to have six pathway credits will generate even more interest.
Career tech programs are building momentum across the Oklahoma City metro area as school districts are shifting their focus to satisfy the changing needs of students and employers. This renewed commitment to career readiness is helping districts provide flexible, tailored pathways to employment success.
Construction internships pay students to learn
Last summer, Oklahoma City Public Schools started a construction trades internship program at Capitol Hill and Northwest Classen high schools.
The district partnered with Construct My Future, an Oklahoma City nonprofit that steers students toward careers in the construction industry, and more than a dozen construction companies.
For the first nine weeks of the program, students received training that spanned certification, financial literacy and character development.
After that, students rotated between job sites for the rest of the 2025-2026 school year and were paid to learn trades ranging from plumbing to installing drywall.
In May, the district recognized about 30 seniors who joined the workforce with signing day ceremonies at Capitol Hill and Northwest Classen high schools.
The ceremonies are modeled after those for athletes who announce college commitments.
“We’ve talked a lot about college and career readiness,” said Toby Blair, executive director of college and career planning for Oklahoma City Public Schools. “But a lot of times, it winds up being college is where the focus is. A student doesn’t necessarily have to have that college degree to reach their unique purpose in life.”
Building a workforce from the classroom up
With funding from a 2022 bond issue, Oklahoma City Public Schools is building flex spaces dedicated to career tech at six high schools. The 28,000-square-foot workspaces are scheduled to open in August.
“Within those, there’s workforce development programming that’s been identified,” said Blair.
Areas of interest include aviation, health, film, construction, biotech and cybersecurity.
The district coordinates with industry partners to build out work-based learning opportunities that include internships. But students begin taking career interest inventories and assessments as early as seventh grade.
“What we aspire to do is create a K through 12th-grade articulation … so that students have a running start going into middle school, already understanding things in the aviation context like: ‘What is flight? What is a drone? What are elements of flight,” explained Scott McAdoo, the district’s director of workforce development.
Some training programs offered by the district, which partners with Metro Tech and Oklahoma Community College, can be completed in six to eight weeks and lead directly to a career.
“Industry is saying ‘give us a bank of skills, employability skills,’ and we’re going to do the rest,” Blair said. “This is that really solid shift of helping to show students that in the trades, with certain certifications, with certain credentials … if you really want to look at quality of life and income and debt, there are some really great options.”
Putnam City’s unique aviation program takes flight
Putnam City Schools offers career tech programming to more than 2,000 students, including an aviation program housed at Wiley Post.
Approximately 60 students are currently enrolled in the program, which offers licenses for private pilots and certifications for aviation maintenance technicians and drone pilots.
“This gives them firsthand, hands-on experience in the field with all things aviation,” said Denise Hensley, the district’s career and technology coordinator.
The district partners with Francis Tuttle Technology Center to deliver programming. Students are college or career-ready by the time they graduate, according to Hensley.
“Our students know that if they go through our programs, there is a high probability that they will land a career in their area of interest,” said Hensley.
Students pursuing CareerTech pathways typically stay in the state of Oklahoma to work, Hensley added.
“Industry leaders tell us repeatedly that what we are doing is exactly what they need,” said Hensley. “They need us to train students who can meet their workforce needs.”
Preparing students — and Oklahoma — for what’s next
As workforce demands evolve, Oklahoma schools are stepping up with real-world training that equips students for success after graduation — whether that’s in college, a trade or directly into the workforce. With strong industry partnerships and growing student interest, these programs are building not just brighter futures for students but also a stronger future for the state.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a year-long series called What’s Right with our Schools, highlighting the innovative and inspiring programs shaping public education in the Oklahoma City metro. Each installment explores a different theme, showcasing how educators, administrators and communities are coming together to create meaningful opportunities for students.
