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Build Oklahoma’s Tech Workforce with Skills Lab
Skills Lab, powered by Tulsa Community College (TCC) and the Oklahoma Workforce Commission, connects you with Tulsa’s future tech talent. Our short-term, high-impact projects in Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and IT Support let learners apply their skills to real business challenges—while you gain access to emerging talent ready to contribute from day one.
Over 4–8 weeks, teams of 3–5 participants tackle projects like building interactive dashboards, conducting cybersecurity assessments, and designing AI-powered tools. Employers benefit from fresh perspectives, a pipeline of skilled professionals, and the opportunity to shape Oklahoma’s growing innovation economy.
Partner with Skills Lab to fill critical workforce gaps, mentor rising professionals, and help strengthen Oklahoma’s tech future.
Working with Skills Lab Participants
Many Employers Are Already Eligible — Join Us in Strengthening Tulsa’s Workforce
Why work with Skills Lab participants?
Skills Lab participants are eager to demonstrate their expertise through real-world projects in Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, AI, and IT Support. They bring a strong foundation of technical skills, combined with critical soft skills like problem-solving, adaptability, and effective communication. Ready to apply their training in meaningful ways, these candidates are prepared to contribute from day one, add fresh perspectives, and grow into valuable assets for your team—helping your organization build capacity and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
What is the Skills Lab program?
The Skills Lab program provides participants the opportunity to engage in employer-led project-based internships. We support employers to access top talent and meet your cyber, data, AI and IT Support project needs.
What type of projects can I post?
Employers can post a range of projects for either the data, cyber, IT Support or AIprograms. Each project will be matched with a team of 3-5 participants.
Easily turn your business challenges into projects.
Access our template library for inspiration, or browse to see what other employers are looking for. We make it easy for you to convert your business challenge into an off-the-shelf 50-hour project.
Unlock 50-hour, fully-subsidized projects for employers, building and nurturing their talent pipeline.
Skills Lab participants have successfully achieved mastery in a range of technical and durable skills, and are ready to tackle your cyber, data, AI and IT Support projects.
Spaces are limited - post your project now!
A registered US business or non-profit organization.
Committed to hiring remote talent and allowing them to work from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
An elected official.
Part of an organization engaged in partisan political activities.
A federal, state, territorial, or municipal government entity.
Many Employers Are Already Eligible — Join Us in Strengthening Tulsa’s Workforce
Frequently asked questions
What does an employer project need to include?
Projects should provide 50 hours of work per participant participating. Each project must be completed within 4–8 weeks. For more information on how to create and submit a project you can consult this article.
How many projects can I submit and how many participants can I take on?
There’s no limit to how many projects an employer can submit to the Skills Lab program. You will be assigned a team of 5 per project. You must be able to provide at least 5 hours of mentorship and coaching to each project team you are matched with.
What if my project requires more than 50 hours of work?
If this is the case, we suggest splitting the one project into two distinct projects. Keep in mind working with 3–5 team members means a project can require up to 250 hours of work in total.
Register on Riipen platform.
Step 01
Step 02
Request an in-platform match with the program.
Step 03
Complete the eligibility form.
Step 04
Collaborate and receive deliverables.
Step 05
Build a sustainable network of talent and support.
Post your project in 5 simple steps:
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50-hour employer projects
Get the immediate help you need with projects by delegating your tasks to participants, at no cost to your business.
At a glance...
Remote mentorship
Test drive talent
Post your tasks and work with participants remotely and directly. We require a minimum of 5 hours from organizations to communicate feedback over the course of your collaboration.
This is your chance to work with emerging talent who can bring new ideas and specialist skills to your business. Explore collaborations through fully-subsidized project work and hire the best-fit participants to join your team.
Just Mark Projects Complete to Issue Compensation
Your participants will receive a $1000 stipend for their completed project, paid directly by Riipen. All you have to do is review their final submission, provide feedback, and mark the project as complete.
Current SkillsLab programs
WordPress Developer Role
Employer: Light Up The World
Location: Remote
Our team is looking for a WordPress wizard who can help us drive more traffic and improve our website.
- This includes helping speed up our website
- Fixing the Plugins
- Updating our website;
- and helping team members with any questions
Student will:
- handling our plugins
- improve the performance of our website
- update our website (as required)
Computer science & IT | Data | Software Development
Data analysis
- Data manipulation, analysis, and visualization
- Extracting insights from datasets
- Data cleaning, transforming, and modeling techniques
- Report generation and dashboard creation
- Data interpretation and actionable recommendations
- Documentation and knowledge sharing
- Machine learning model development and evaluation
- Data preparation, feature engineering, and optimization
- Neural networks and basic deep learning techniques
- Natural language processing (NLP) and AI automation
- Ethical AI practices and responsible implementation
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Cybersecurity
- Security architecture and resilience strategies
- Threat detection, intelligence, and vulnerability management
- Incident response planning and execution
- Risk assessment and mitigation techniques
- Security process improvement and compliance support
- System installation, configuration, and troubleshooting
- Network management and connectivity support
- Security-focused maintenance and monitoring
- Technical support for hardware, software, and end users
- Documentation, ticketing, and knowledge base management
