Blog Post

Colorado's sector partnerships are driving systemic change, connecting employers and training. Examples include the Colorado Tree Care Sector Partnership's apprenticeship program and the Northern Colorado Health Sector Partnership's Nurse Well Being Conference. These efforts promote job quality, skills-first practices, and work-based learning, building talent pipelines and supporting essential workers.

With the help of stimulus funding, Forward Steps helped 250 young Coloradans—especially those facing adversity—explore career paths through its "Realizing Aptitudes" program. This initiative combined one-on-one career coaching with cutting-edge Virtual Reality (VR) simulations to give underserved youth a realistic, pressure-free experience of in-demand jobs like surgical tech and auto mechanic. The funding dramatically expanded their reach into Northern Colorado and rural communities, providing a reliable support system that fostered confidence and clear career vision for youths.

Barefoot PR, a small business based in Colorado, uses skills-first practices to redefine hiring.

On Nov. 13, the Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) hosted a webinar Wage Outcomes for ETPL Providers. The purpose of this webinar was to share the newly reformatted data, provide an overview of the data itself, and provide context to the information as well.

Explore results of the 2024-2025 Annual Impact Survey, with input from over 900 employers.

Colorado educators are attending regional trainings from October 2025 to February 2026 to implement the “big 3” initiatives—work-based learning, college credit, and industry-recognized certifications—aimed at ensuring all high school graduates have postsecondary readiness opportunities by 2029, in alignment with new state policies and SB25-315 reforms.

CWDC contributed leadership, collaboration, and workforce innovation to EDCC’s Drive | Lead | Succeed Conference, highlighting statewide efforts to align Colorado’s workforce system with evolving employer and community needs.

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Talent Pipeline Report will be published on Dec. 16, 2025. This annual report dives into Colorado’s demand for and supply of talent in Colorado, offering insights for workforce and economic development, education and training, business, and program and policy developers.

The CWDC and OEDIT are excited to announce the official transition from convening to action with the launch of seven Regional Action Committees (RACs). Led by Local Workforce Development Boards, these RACs are composed of dedicated leaders from business, education, economic development, and workforce sectors. Each committee is committed to a collaborative approach, driving the implementation of the Tactical Workforce Plans to address the critical needs of their region.

October marks Manufacturing Month, a time to celebrate the industry’s vital role in Colorado’s economy and the collaborative efforts shaping its current and future workforce. Manufacturing leaders voiced clearly throughout 2025 Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summits a desire to attract a younger, tech-savvy generation, and upskill the current workforce to modernize products. During CWDC’s Manufacturing Community of Practice held in October, Sector Partnerships uplifted four ways on how they are doing just that.