June 10, 2025
(Center): Regional Host, CWDC Member and Vail Valley Partnership President & CEO Chris Romer welcomes guests to the Northwest Region Opportunity Now Talent Summit.
Leaders from across northwest Colorado convened at Colorado Mountain College in Edwards on June 3, 2025, for the Northwest Region Opportunity Now Talent Summit. The Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) convened the summit with regional host Vail Valley Partnership, in collaboration with the CWDC. The summit brought together industry representatives, educators, economic developers, and workforce professionals for strategic workforce planning.
CWDC Assistant Director of Systems Innovation Renise Walker and Senior Consultant of Sector Partnerships & Industry Bobbie Wolfe joined regional stakeholders to discuss workforce solutions in construction, healthcare, and tourism. The summit served counties including Eagle, Grand, Jackson, Pitkin, Summit, Routt, and Park.
“Workforce development is a team sport,” Walker said. “Successfully implementing the ideas we come up with today will require all of your continued engagement to allow us to successfully translate those good ideas into implementation success.”
Colorado Workforce Development Council Member and Vail Valley Partnership CEO Chris Romer welcomed employers from across the region as well as state leaders, including Office of Economic Development and International Trade Executive Director Eve Liberman, Director of Talent Innovation Misti Ruthven, Colorado Department of Higher Education Director of Industry Partnerships Beverly Jones, and Director of the Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium Suzie Miller.
“The foundation of every community starts with people. People connected to opportunity make for strong businesses. Strong businesses contribute to more opportunity and a strong economy. It’s all interconnected,” Romer said.
Romer shared work Vail Valley Partnership had done in Eagle County to map the workforce ecosystem. The mapping project revealed workforce needs across six sectors and key challenges for career pathways, including the need for bilingual training and addressing barriers for small businesses. Eagle County relies on employers and talent from neighboring mountain counties.
“Workforce development is not just an economic imperative, it’s an investment into the people of Colorado,” Liberman said. “When we invest in our talent, we are investing in our future.”
Industry Breakouts: Priorities and Action Areas
Participants shared perspectives and recommendations on immediate priorities, including the high cost of living and challenges with accessing childcare in the region, across three targeted industries:
Healthcare
- There is an ongoing need for medical assistants and front-line customer service positions. The group discussed the possibility of building out upskilling pathways for medical assistants to help retain them in the industry.
- Colorado Mountain College and CareerWise Colorado have a partnership focused on training medical assistants that could be expanded.
- Increased awareness of roles like imaging and radiology technicians is needed.
- Employers in the Roaring Fork Valley could benefit from expanding Eagle County pathway opportunities.
Tourism
- Opportunities exist to explore seasonal worker exchange programs and customer service pathways.
- There is a stigma regarding tourism roles, and the region aims to have a reputation for excellent customer service.
- Affordable housing for families is a regional need.
Construction
- There is a need for clearer communication with public partners and a desire to standardize regulations and training.
- Opportunities exist to streamline licensure requirements through the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).
Looking Ahead
The Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summits are part of a statewide series established under HB24-1365, aimed at developing two- and five-year tactical workforce plans tailored to each region’s needs. These insights will be shared in the 2025 Talent Pipeline Report and incorporated into local workforce areas’ Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Local Plans.
The CWDC will manage the implementation and reporting processes to ensure progress is being made on the tactical workforce plans. This effort will be done collaboratively with OEDIT and local workforce boards who will lead continued engagement of employers within the region and facilitate implementation of the plans.
The final summit will be hosted by the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and Southern Colorado Economic Development District for El Paso and Teller Counties on June 13, 2025, focusing on advanced manufacturing, aerospace & defense, and technology. In addition to the inclusion of the final plans from each region in the 2025 Talent Pipeline Report, annual progress reports will be published in subsequent years.
For more information, explore the Opportunity Now Summit webpage.