Blog Post

Colorado is celebrating Workforce Development Month throughout September. This week’s topic, “Work in a Virtual World,” highlights the ways in which the world of work has shifted due to the pandemic as Colorado workers, job seekers, and employers have transitioned to working remotely.

In June the Colorado State Youth Council (SYC) awarded six organizations with Tech Bridge grants to address the growing technology divide that hinders Colorado youth from accessing career and education opportunities. Since receiving funding, the various organizations have helped increase access to technology for youth across the state through a variety of innovative projects. 

Workforce Development Month kicks off on Sept. 1. This nationwide awareness month, held annually in September, recognizes the contributions of workforce professionals and highlights events and initiatives that support job seekers and employers. 

The CWDC is excited to announce the August release of the Talent Development Playbook: Recruitment & Retention, which focuses on approaches for businesses to attract and retain high-quality talent.

The CWDC has released a draft of Colorado’s 2020-2021 Talent Equity Agenda for public comment. The agenda is focused on targeting resources, focusing efforts, and measuring progress to decrease racial disparities in how our talent ecosystem educates, trains, hires, and advances our workforce. 

In partnership with the CDE Office of Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness, the CWDC is excited to launch the Work-based Learning Incubator taking place from September 2020 through June 2021. The incubator is designed to support the development of work-based learning programs in Colorado schools and school districts.

The CWDC is excited to welcome Gwen Carter to the team as the new operations coordinator. In her role, Gwen will manage all internal and external operations functions of the CWDC.

The CWDC worked with state agency partners from CDLE, CDHE, and CCCS to publish Colorado’s High Quality IRAP Framework. The framework details quality standards for Industry Recognized Apprenticeships Programs (IRAPs) as they take hold in Colorado.

On July 23-24, the CWDC hosted the Reenvisioning Retail 2020 conference for more than 150 individuals from business, education, workforce, community-based organizations, and more.