Page 7

this writing, we are in talks with a commercial truck driving school. CNC machinists are in-demand across rural OK, for small manufacturing plants supporting farming and oil & gas. This career (along with commercial truck driving) is on “Oklahoma’s 100 Critical Occupations” list, with an average salary of $21/hr to start. We are actively looking for a tech school that offers CNC training. High-value employment, such as IT/tech, is needed in OK (primarily Tulsa and OKC) and in OK SNAP Works. Partner ReMerge has pivoted away from Grow With Google IT training, so OK SNAP Works offers limited high-tech training. We are in- talks with tech schools across the state to remedy this issue. Despite common assumptions, OK’s oil & gas industry only employs approximately 30,000 people statewide with almost no barriers to employment, and little expansion predicted due to mechanization. This field is not currently an area of expansion OK SNAP Works will pursue. Most continually-hiring (always in demand) employment in OK is a stabilizing job, the top three being hospitality, retail sales, and fast-food service (not ranked, as that depends on location). This is not a goal for OK SNAP Works, but something partners have available for participants that want rapid re-employment. Partner programs (such as Work Ready in small town Eufaula) need to consider how many participants are willing to relocate for a job/career. There are plenty of participants/potential-participants looking for employment in any given area, but only a percentage of those will be willing to move over an hour away for a career. SNAP E&T partner programs need to keep in mind that some high-paying career paths simply aren’t available in Eufaula OK (pop 2,833). 1/29/26, 9:31 AM State Plan OK FY26 - Original Submission https://dam-fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/microsite/snapet-okfy26stateplan//index.html 7/156