RFP Marks First Step in Standing up Tulsa's Cyber & Analytics Skills Center

Feeding Tulsa's high growth sectors will require significant investments in Tulsa's cyber and analytics talent pool. Cybersecurity specifically accounts for 12.5% of all tech job postings in Tulsa over the past five years, and demand in Tulsa could grow as much as 38% in the next five years.  We also believe that cyber and analytics offer opportunities for Tulsans of all backgrounds to access the tech economy.

With the release of this RFP, Tulsa Innovation Labs is pleased to take the first step towards establishing a Cyber & Analytics Skills Center (CAC), in partnership with Tulsa Community College and Oklahoma State University. At maturity, the CAC will train 100 students per year in industry-aligned cyber and analytics fields, and an additional 100 students per year will utilize CAC affiliated transfer pathways to pursue 4-year degrees in related fields.  TIL, TCC, and OSU also view the CAC as a critical piece of Tulsa's inclusive tech ecosystem, and it will have robust DEI performance indicators in place to ensure the CAC broadens access to the tech economy for all Tulsans.

The CAC will proceed in three phases. During Phase One (Subject of the RFP), an operator will establish an Accelerated Training Program in collaboration with TCC targeting cyber and analytics professionals looking to take their careers to the next level, and/or experienced professionals in adjacent fields transitioning into Cyber or Analytics roles. During Phase Two, TCC and OSU will establish 4-year degree pathways inside the CAC to produce expert level cyber and analytics talent.  Finally, Phase Three will see the entire CAC relocated to OSU's Helmerich Research Center, where students and instructors can interact with state-of-the-art labs and facilitates as well as other tech focused teams and researchers.

A diverse and growing cyber and analytics workforce will be the bedrock of Tulsa’s competitiveness, and TIL looks forward to proposals that offer even more Tulsans the opportunity to excel in these high growth fields.

REVIEW OUR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL HERE.

Proposals should be sent to conor@tulsainnovationlabs.com; please contact the same email if you are interested in attending an information session on October 25th.