OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The pandemic has caused financial hardship for many Oklahomans, from their hours being cut to losing their jobs altogether. To help those impacted get back on their feet, the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development is offering several job training opportunities.

“We set a goal when all this happened that people don’t just get back to where they were before covid, but they actually can come out better,” said Don Morris, executive director at the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development.

Whether it be training for a trade or pursing higher education, Oklahoma Works is committed to helping Oklahomans with their career path for free.

“We have customers that are in welding school, CDL truck driving school, every medical profession,” said Morris.

The agency also provides help beyond career training.

“For some people who qualify, we actually provide supportive services like help with rent, child care, if you need anything involving a uniform for your new job, steel toe boots, nursing shoes, that sort of thing,” said Morris.

Oklahoma Works’ services are open to any Oklahoman, however they do place an emphasis on helping those with less opportunity.

“We focus on people that have been justice involved, have a former record,” said Morris. “We focus on people, the hardest to reach population, youth that are out of school. We focus on people in poverty, especially cyclical poverty, and we try to stop that cycle with that person.”

To ease the job hunting process, Oklahoma Works has created their own app, OKJobMatch.

“You put your zip code and the kind of job that you want and it pops up all the jobs that are available,” said Morris. “We’ve got about 25,000 jobs listed on there now, and we hear people using the app to find employment without all the extra stuff that you’re going to see in these commercial apps.”

For more information on how to get training or other career related help, visit the Oklahoma Works website.