Feb. 3, 2020 - In January the CWDC approved a new vision, mission, and values. Hear from CWDC Managing Director Lee Wheeler-Berliner about the announcement and what it means for the organization.
By Lee Wheeler-Berliner, CWDC Managing Director
The CWDC is proud to announce a new vision, mission, and values for our organization. Discussion about a revised vision and mission started in May 2019 out of a desire from Council members to more closely examine the intent of these statements and ensure they reflect the current work and purpose of the CWDC. Conversations at the September 2019 and January 2020 Council meetings and with the CWDC Executive Committee resulted in the drafting and approval of the following statements:
Vision: Every Colorado employer has access to a skilled workforce and every Coloradan has the opportunity for meaningful employment, resulting in individual and statewide economic prosperity.
Mission: To enhance and sustain a skills-based talent development network that meets the needs of employers, workers, job seekers, and learners for today and tomorrow.
Values: Equity, Agility, Integration
The vision and mission speak to both the “why” and the “what” of our work. While the vision lays out why we exist as an organization and choose to work hard at the tasks we undertake, the mission explains what we are actively doing to make that vision a reality. The updates made to these statements solidify our strategic focus for talent development in the coming years, and make it clear that the success of our already strong network is dependent upon individual success; and that opportunity must be available to all populations in Colorado.
The CWDC is also excited to engage more deeply with the introduction of three values. The values give us guidelines for how we do this work together, and they send the signal that realizing our vision will be meaningful only if we achieve it with a focus on three key things: Equity, Agility, Integration.
Equity points to the phrase “every Coloradan,” and recognizes that the data points we track tell different stories when we dig into subsets and groups. It acknowledges that prosperity is not a macro measurement, but a much more individual and community based concept that requires us to examine the unique needs of different populations in Colorado.
Agility speaks to the need to be responsive to shifts in the environment. In our work it emphasizes the need to support the training of individuals on the essential skills necessary in the 21st century workplace, and those that will be necessary in the next 15 years. Agility requires us to focus both on our current tasks and those yet to come, and demands that we conduct our business inside a framework that is ready to adapt, pivot, and redirect our energy as needed, when needed.
Integration acknowledges that our vision does not belong to only one sector. It isn’t just a “government vision” or a “business community vision,” and it can’t be achieved in isolation. It also highlights that the CWDC creates the most value when working at the intersection of business, government, and the nonprofit community, as well as at the intersection of education, economic development, and workforce development. By focusing on the integration of these forces we are able to create the energy and the coalition to make our vision a reality.
With these updated mission and vision statements, and the addition of three core values, I look forward to what lies ahead for the CWDC as we continue to drive forward positive outcomes for all Coloradans.