| dc.description.abstract | The city of Tulsa, Oklahoma is located in the northeastern section of the state. This modem city was started by the removed Creek Indian Nation (Muskogee) under an oak tree on a hill overlooking the Arkansas River. That tree still stands today as the Creek Council Oak Tree. The metro area of over 550,000 people live in relative growing prosperity based on oil, aerospace, communications, transportation, warehousing, fiber-optic telecommunications, finance, insurance, and related industries and services. Three sections of the community, north Tulsa, an area near the international airport, and the southwest Tulsa area have not shared in this prosperity. Some of these census tracts, 36 actual districts, represented some of the poorest families in America. This study looked at the level of access these families had with respect to job training opportunities, adult education, and informational (Internet) access. The neighborhood targeted was designated as the Enterprise Community (EC) by the City of Tulsa Community Development Department. This community name and specific tracts have changed over the years, but the poverty levels have not. Interviews were conducted with key individuals in the many social services organizations operating in the Enterprise Community to determine their knowledge of the vast technological changes in the work place and to measure their ability to transfer this knowledge to their client base. Access to jobs, training, education, and information were key issues. The study measured levels of access and the responsiveness of those agencies and organizations who had direct responsibility for welfare and social services in this community. | |
