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PrintTYPros - Special section - Why TYPros impacts area workforce
The organization is taking seriously its mission to attract and retain young professionals to the region.
Having spent her childhood on the East Coast, Kate Hoback was looking for a change. Her godfather had attended Oklahoma State University, and after being accepted to the school herself, Hoback says she headed to Oklahoma sight unseen. It was this trek and Tulsa’s charm that eventually brought Hoback to Tulsa.
“I originally heard about Tulsa’s Young Professionals when I was at OSU and signed up for the newsletter,” says Hoback, technical business development manager for The Addison Group and crew leader of the TYPros Colleges and Universities Crew. “It seemed like the organization was so vibrant and had a cultural responsibility … both things that interested me.”
Since settling in Tulsa, Hoback has become heavily involved in TYPros and the community.
“I think every young person entering the job market is worried they won’t be taken seriously, or that their opinion won’t be valued,” Hoback says. “I’m sure that’s the case in many cities, but TYPros is the antidote to that kind of thinking for Tulsa.”
TYPros, an organization offering membership at no cost, is changing the landscape of the region’s workforce while working to keep Tulsa competitive with metro areas across the nation. U.S. Census Bureau statistics show that nearly one quarter of Tulsa’s workforce is aged 25-34, a level consistent since 2000. And while that number will increase in the next 10 to 20 years, it may not grow fast enough.
The battle for young talent is being waged as baby boomers retire, creating a time bomb for the nation’s workforce — one in which for every two baby boomers leaving the workforce, only one young professional is entering. The issue of recruiting young talent is felt by area companies large and small, several of which have incorporated programs and initiatives dedicated to recruitment.
“We continue to look for new ways to attract and retain young professionals at Williams,” says Traci Gower, manager of college relations at Williams. “One way we’re doing that is through our Young Professional Business Resource Groups. These groups serve as resources to company leadership, providing input on the best ways to meet the needs of that group.”
TYPros work crews, including Colleges and Universities, Diversity and Ambassadors, proactively work with companies and educational institutions to create an area of opportunity and growth. TYPros members assist with career fairs, educate college students and young professionals about the advantages of living and working in Tulsa and offer presentations to companies’ recruits.
TYPros also offers the Intern In Tulsa program, hosting intern and on-campus events, recruiting at college fairs and connecting companies to college students through a Web site, www.InternInTulsa.com.
Additionally, the organization’s leadership participated in a strategic planning session with CEOs for Cities during its national “Talent Dividend Tour” in Tulsa in 2009. CEOs for Cities’ president and CEO, Carol Coletta, discussed with TYPros members how to amplify the preservation of talent; create things for young professionals to do; and determine what is “uniquely Tulsa” to recruit talent.
TYPros’ efforts are working, as new young professionals move to Tulsa. Ashley Schaefer, substation design engineer for American Electric Power in Tulsa, says TYPros gave her the opportunity to network and get involved in the community.
“I chose Tulsa mainly for the opportunities of growth with my company but also because of TYPros,” the Pittsburgh native says. “I knew that as a single young female, I would be able to have a direct ‘plug’ into the city and the young people here in Tulsa through TYPros.”
