March 16, 2020 - On March 10, CWDC staff traveled to Steamboat Springs for a Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Symposium hosted by Northwest BOCES. The PWR Symposiums aim to connect schools, districts, and workforce partners to engage in strategic conversations about PWR initiatives such as capstones, work-based learning, industry certifications, and ICAP.
The symposium was facilitated by representatives from the Colorado Department of Education and career and technical education (CTE) directors. Throughout the day, educators in Routt County were able to gain more information about CTE opportunities, hear about changes that will be implemented with Perkins V, and learn how to leverage CTE for their graduation guidelines.
Additionally, Jessica Valand, the workforce director for the northwest sub-area of Colorado, was able to attend the symposium with her team to make connections between workforce centers and education partners. This enabled educators to obtain region specific data, connect with business, and have access to additional resources through the workforce center. Moving forward, educators will be able to collaborate with workforce and business partners to address skill and talent gaps and better inform their programs to be aligned with industry priorities.
Thank you to Northwest BOCES for hosting this event and for all the educators and workforce representatives who attended and participated. In light of the evolving concerns around health, the symposium scheduled for March 17 in Colorado Springs has been postponed until a later date. The May 8 symposium in Alamosa is currently scheduled to occur as planned. CDE’s website will be updated with new information as available.