2025 Talent Pipeline Report Policy Recommendations

  Learn more about the 2025 Talent Pipeline Report  

Colorado has made significant investments in workforce development over the course of the last decade. These investments have blurred the lines between K-12, higher education, and workforce training; improved the accessibility of training by providing free credential opportunities and promoting additional modes of training like apprenticeship; and strengthened demand-driven approaches to talent development. The Colorado Talent Pipeline Report builds off of a portfolio of work across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors; makes sense of these efforts; and suggests where there are new opportunities to support Colorado learners and businesses succeed in the talent marketplace.

In order to continue expanding Colorado’s talent pipeline and to support economic growth, two recommendations are being brought forward.

Recommendation One - Using Data to Make Informed Decisions & Measure Impact:

The postsecondary education and training system should incorporate consistent, aligned, and collaborative data standards and definitions for providers delivering services. Rigorous methods for analyzing the impact of programs and practices should also be adopted for new and existing efforts so that the investment of public dollars can be made with strong confidence in the likelihood of success and a positive public return. 

Recommendation Two - Make the Postsecondary Talent Development System Easier to Navigate:

Colorado should re-evaluate what data would be necessary to collect for the state to have better visibility into how learners and earners move through education and training, and where they might get disconnected. This information would help the state have a more accurate, impactful, and holistic response to talent development.