OKMULGEE – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Employment and Training Administration (ETA) hosted a Resume Building Workshop at the MCN Housing Building on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The workshop featured speakers from Work Ready Oklahoma, a nonprofit with the mission to help individuals in rural communities find steady jobs.
The bimonthly workshop is open to all Tribal citizens within the Mvskoke jurisdiction currently looking for jobs, or who simply want to polish up their professional resume. ETA Job Placement Specialist Isaiah Jimboy (Mvskoke) said the program is particularly useful for those who have limited education experience.
“Some people we see are high school dropouts, or only received their GED. They don’t know how to build a quality resume tailored to the job they’re wanting” Jimboy said. “They’ll have barriers to employment that we try to remove during the process.”
Labor market statistics show Oklahoma’s unemployment rate making slow progress, however still below the national average. The average Oklahoma unemployment rate in August sat at 3.1%, down from 3.3% from August 2024. The August national unemployment rate sat at 4.3%.
Work Ready Works for You
Work Ready’s main services include classes and workshops. The nonprofit covers expenses for job application documents including birth certificates and drivers licenses. Jimboy said drivers license reinstatement fees are the most common obstacle Tribal citizens face when receiving help from ETA. Gas cards are provided for individuals in the program that need rides to the workshops or to job sites for interviews. The nonprofit also assists in purchasing professional clothing needed for job interviews. Even after a program recipient has found a job, the nonprofit covers expenses related to work clothing and equipment. Assistance for rent and utilities is available as well.
Work Ready Consultant Dr. Julia Teska helped expand the nonprofit to Okmulgee. Teska’s background in job training has allowed her to build confidence in job seekers at workshops across Oklahoma. According to Teska, the biggest obstacle job seekers face is education.
“Stay in school. Quite frankly the key to success is having enough education so that you have the skills that you need to get a job,” Teska said. “A lot of people in our program do not have high school diplomas or GED (General Education Development). It is a severe detriment to their success.”
Teska added that college is not a one-size-fits-all experience for adults going into the work force. Work Ready aims to send workers on the right career path based on their aptitude. Sometimes that means a traditional option like college, or a nontraditional option like a vocational or trade school. According to Teska, Okmulgee boasts some of the best vocational schools in the country.
“OSUIT is probably one of the best in the country, not just the state,” Teska said. “My family lives in Seattle. Many of them send their children to OSUIT for their post high school training because of the reputation that school has.”
Work Ready conducts 90-day followups on program applicants who find a job through the nonprofit. The followup helps Work Ready see how they can improve in their services and if there are still any needs program applicants may have.
Work Ready has offices in Okmulgee, Tulsa, Eufaula and Muskogee. Their address and contacts can be found below. Job seekers can also visit the Work Ready website, workreadyoklahoma.com, to learn more information.
Work Ready Okmulgee
100 West 7th Street 2nd Floor
Okmulgee, OK 74447
539-286-6136
Work Ready Tulsa
2852 Southwest Blvd.
Tulsa, OK 74107
918-599-0272
Work Ready Muskogee
319 Denison St.
Muskogee, OK 74401
405-212-8474
Work Ready Eufaula
25 Hospital Dr.
Eufaula, OK 74432
918-201-2705
