BUILDING FUTURES: WORK READY ADA CELEBRATES ITS FIRST YEAR
August 14, 2025 by Daniel Castaneda
BY: CATHLENA SPENCER
Just one year ago, Work Ready Ada, a new employment readiness program, was launched in partnership with Pontotoc Technology Center (PTC). The program, funded by Oklahoma Human Services through a $7.5 million grant over five years, aims to provide new opportunities for the local community. Now, a year into its operation, the program is not only meeting its goals but also transforming lives.
Work Ready Ada’s Program Director Cassie Burrows and Job Coach Kim Paxson explained that the program’s intensive, five-day, 30-hour workshop is offered completely free of charge to any Oklahoma resident. Since its first class in September of 2024, 141 people have participated. The program boasts a 100% retention rate, a point of pride for Burrows and her team, as it’s the only site in Oklahoma with such a record. Burrows shared, “88% of our participants coming from low-income households. Thanks to funding from TANF, we prioritize families with children under 18, which allows us to offer additional support. We’ve had 18 students so far who have attended our class and then received funding from us to enroll in programs at PTC, including barber, CNA, LPN, lineman, CDL, and dental assisting courses.”
The curriculum, developed by educators and rooted in scientific research, focuses on building hope and confidence. This approach has been so successful that participants’ hope is measured with surveys at the beginning and end of the week, consistently showing an increase in hopefulness. “Nobody’s ever told me that I could do this or like believed in me,” one participant shared, highlighting the empowering effect of the team’s belief in their success.
A significant development since the program’s launch is the move to a spacious new facility at PTC. The new 10,000-square-foot space, a vast improvement from their initial location in a double-wide trailer, provides a comfortable environment for participants. The new space offers a big break area for networking, a kitchen with free snacks and drinks, a conference room, and additional classrooms for small group activities. The facility is also available for rent to community members and other agencies. For those who land a remote job but don’t have a suitable home office, the center provides six private offices with internet, phones, and computers. This co-working space is available to participants for as long as they need it. This new space has also become a hub for collaboration with other community agencies like Adult Basic Ed and Pontotoc County Specialty Courts, which are key referral partners for the program.
The program’s focus has also evolved to better serve the community’s needs. While remote work was an initial focal point, the team has found more success placing individuals in local, in-person jobs, as many participants prefer to be in the community and have a set schedule. The team helps people secure jobs that pay at least $15 an hour with benefits like health insurance and paid time off, benefits many participants have never had before. They’ve helped numerous individuals, including stay-at-home parents and those transitioning from the fast-food industry, find stable employment.
One of the program’s most inspiring success stories involves a woman who had been a stay-at-home mom for years. After attending a workshop and a Worklahoma job fair, she received a free haircut from PTC cosmetology students. Feeling confident, she approached a Mercy hospital booth, where she interviewed on the spot and was offered a job paying over $20 an hour. This is just one of many success stories that illustrate the program’s impact.
Challenges, however, do remain. The team has discovered that many remote employers will not accept applicants with certain backgrounds. This has required the program to adjust its strategy, sometimes focusing on helping participants secure a stabilizing job first, which can then serve as a stepping stone to a higher-quality career. Transportation is another significant barrier, but as Burrows notes, participants are so motivated that they will find a way to get to the workshop. She shared a story of one man who walked three miles each day for three weeks until he secured a job.
Looking ahead, Work Ready Ada aims to continue its success, with a goal of serving 150 participants in the current year. The team also wants to increase their employment rate from 67% to 80% and build more partnerships with local employers. Work Ready Ada’s mission is clear: to be a free resource that helps anyone in the Ada area find, get, and keep a better job. They are not a competitor to other agencies but a “specialty tool” that provides comprehensive support, from resume writing to interview practice and beyond. The team is dedicated to supporting participants for as long as they need, even after the workshop is over. As one participant noted, the program is “so much more than a resume and interview,” offering a space for people to focus on themselves and their future.
The next Work Ready workshop runs August 18-22 from 8:00-3:00. Tell them you’re coming by emailing: recruitment@wro-ada.com or by calling: 580.310.2284. You can also find them and more information on their Facebook page.
Written by
Daniel Castaneda
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