OKC FAME and the Earn-While-You-Learn Manufacturing Path

Claire Brooks

So, get this. The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber tracked over one hundred and ten company expansions recently that are set to bring in, um, more than three thousand four hundred new jobs. And these aren't low wage shifts either. We are talking an average annual salary of around sixty thousand seven hundred dollars.

Miles

Sixty thousand seven hundred? Wow. That is, uh, that is real money. But wait, if companies are expanding like that, where are they actually finding the people to do the work? Because I keep hearing about a massive talent shortage in tech and skilled trades.

Claire Brooks

You hit the exact bottleneck. The jobs are there, but finding people with the specific technical skills to run and maintain modern facilities is, uh, it's really tough. And that is where this program called OKC FAME comes in.

Miles

OKC FAME? Okay, what does the FAME part stand for?

Claire Brooks

It stands for the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education. It is a partnership between local employers, the Chamber, and Oklahoma State University Oklahoma City, or OSU OKC. Basically, it offers a two year degree in engineering technology, but paired directly with paid on the job experience.

Miles

Wait, so you're in class, but you're also working in an actual manufacturing plant at the exact same time?

Claire Brooks

Exactly. You split your week. You go to class at OSU OKC for two days, and then you spend three days working on the shop floor with a sponsoring employer. And local companies like Climate Control Group, IDEX, and AAE are already sponsoring students in the program.

Miles

Man, when I was in my early twenties, I, I, I worked hourly retail, right? And the thought of going back to school was terrifying because, well, how do you pay rent if you drop hours to sit in a lecture hall? But here, you are literally earning wages while you get the degree.

Claire Brooks

Right! The wages you earn on your shift can basically wipe out tuition costs entirely. So you graduate with a two year degree, zero student debt, and two full years of real world work experience on your resume.

Miles

That is, er, that is huge. Because when most people picture manufacturing, they picture, I don't know, dirty assembly lines from fifty years ago. But this is totally different, isn't it?

Claire Brooks

It really is. Modern manufacturing is high tech. In the OKC FAME program, on top of normal engineering coursework, students learn specialized practices directly from the Toyota Production System. We are talking safety, quality control, predictive maintenance, and complex problem solving on automated machinery.

Miles

So it is less about turning a wrench by hand all day and more about keeping millions of dollars of automated equipment running smoothly.

Claire Brooks

Exactly. It is high precision engineering technology.

Miles

Okay, so walk me through how this actually feels day to day for someone who gets into the program. Like, what does that schedule look like?

Claire Brooks

Sure. So, take the current cohort. They alternate. Two full days a week are spent in classrooms and labs at OSU OKC, working through technical theory and hands on simulations. Then the other three days, you clock in as an Advanced Manufacturing Technician candidate at a local company like IDEX or Climate Control Group.

Miles

And you are working alongside experienced technicians, getting mentored while pulling a paycheck.

Claire Brooks

Exactly. Dr. Oscar Rodriguez, who leads the Engineering Technologies department at OSU OKC, pointed out that these students learn how a real company operates from day one. They aren't just sitting in a lecture hoping it applies later. They see the exact problem on Tuesday and solve it at work on Wednesday.

Miles

Okay, but how hard is it for a regular person to actually get connected with this? Like if someone is listening right now and thinking, hey, I want to jump from my current hourly job into a real career track, what is step one?

Claire Brooks

It is surprisingly direct. You can reach out directly to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. Lee Copeland is the Director of Talent Programs there, and his phone line is four zero five, two nine seven, eight eight zero three. Or you can reach out directly to the engineering department at OSU OKC and ask about the OKC FAME cohort.

Miles

Four zero five, two nine seven, eight eight zero three. Got it. You know, I think about people who feel stuck in a dead end job. The hardest part of making a jump is usually the financial risk. You can't just quit working to go to school full time when you have monthly bills, rent, groceries, life.

Claire Brooks

Right. That earn while you learn structure completely removes that wall. You don't have to choose between a paycheck today and a career tomorrow.

Miles

Yeah. And even if someone isn't ready for a full degree program right this second, there are dozens of local hiring events and career fairs listed every single week through the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. Like, the doors are open if you know where to look.

Claire Brooks

Absolutely. Whether it is stepping into a FAME cohort at OSU OKC or hitting an OESC job fair, the path from an hourly shift to a sustainable, sixty thousand dollar career track in OKC is clearer than it has ever been.

Miles

Well, that is a pretty good reason to make a phone call today. Good stuff, Claire.

Claire Brooks

Talk to you next time, Miles.