CareerTech Horizon 2-2: “Here’s the Beef”

Do you remember last year when meat was difficult to find?

When the lockdowns went into effect, and major meat producers had to scale back production in the fight against COVID-19, many Oklahomans sought out local sources of meat. However, that highlighted a new problem: workforce shortages.

In this episode, we examine Oklahoma’s meat shortage and how teamwork from all over the state seeks to train more meat processors to prevent another shortage.

  • We’ll examine how Oklahoma lawmakers responded to the initial meat shortage  and began to expand the state’s local processing capacity.
  • We’ll look into how CareerTech teamed up with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to train a new workforce in a partnership that paid dividends.
  • We’ll hit the road to check out high schools and tech centers adding meat processing to their curriculum.
  • Check out the new Mobile Meat Processing Lab – a refrigerated semi-trailer converted into a classroom on wheels.
  • A new Oklahoma-certified beef standard seeks to help farmers and ranchers market their meat directly to consumers.

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn or Stitcher or ask your smart speaker to play “CareerTech Horizon.”

Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or on Facebook to stay up to date with this ongoing project. Visit our website for show notes, episode trailers and bonus content “Beyond Your Horizon” at http://cthorizon.org

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CareerTech Horizon 1-8: “Back In the Swing of Things”

a student works on a machining project in the classroom. Everyone is wearing a facemask

Has the time come for you to transition back to your normal life? Does the uncertainty of going back to school or work amidst a pandemic give you stress and anxiety?

In this episode, CareerTech Horizon takes you inside one technology center to see how they navigated their reopening with a new program for students and plenty of guidelines to keep everyone safe.

  • At Tri County Tech in Bartlesville, we take a look at the newly revamped “Skills To Rebuild” program, designed to train students quickly for new careers in the areas hardest hit by the pandemic.
  • We sit down with Tri County Tech’s CEO and Superintendent Lindel Fields and ask about how the tech center approached the shutdown and the reopening, and what this means for the future of education.
  • Finally, we call up CareerTech’s own Dr. Steven Aragon, a cognitive psychologist who has some advice on how to navigate these uncertain times with your family.

You can follow us on Twitter @CT_Horizon, or find us on Facebook.

You can also visit our website, cthorizon.org, for show notes, discussion and bonus content, “Beyond Your Horizon.”

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TRAILER – CTH 1-8: “Back In The Swing Of Things”

Three students, wearing face masks are sitting at their computers in a classroom.

While the world around us changes rapidly, some may choose to hang on to the familiar things in life.  For others, this may be the perfect time to make changes for themselves.
Next time on CareerTech Horizon, we go to TriCounty Tech in Bartlesville, where a new take on an old program trains students for a new career in less than a month, so they can fill some of the most pressing needs of their community. All that, during a pandemic that has forced educators to re-think what school looks like.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app or platform, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Or, ask your smart speaker to “Play CareerTech Horizon.”