Tactical Workforce Plans

Implementing Opportunity Now Tactical Workforce Plans

Colorado’s economic competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global landscape is directly linked to the strength and readiness of its workforce. To address critical talent shortages, the 2025 Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summits, enacted by House Bill 24-1365, mobilized industry leaders, educators and policy makers from seven regions across the state to examine critical economic and workforce needs and identify the programs and resources that might better address those needs.

The Summits resulted in the development of Tactical Workforce Plans that outline key actions to address critical workforce challenges between now and 2030. This webpage outlines key information about the Tactical Workforce Plans and will provide updates on progress towards the industry-informed goals outlined in the plans. To learn more about the Regional Talent Summits that occurred February through June of 2025, please visit OEDIT’s website.

Plan Implementation & Accountability     Regional Action Committees     Framework for Action   

Key Takeaways by Industry   Key Collaborators   Frequently Asked Questions   

From Summits to Action: Implementation and Accountability of Tactical Workforce Plans

Local workforce development boards—in collaboration with regional partners—will lead the implementation of Tactical Workforce Plans to address critical regional workforce shortages. Under the direction of the Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and OEDIT, the local workforce boards have established Regional Action Committees (RACs) to ensure that the implementation process is carried out in collaboration. To ensure that implementation of the Tactical Workforce Plans are carried out in partnership with employers and other regional stakeholders.  

The CWDC will oversee accountability and reporting for the implementation process and coordinate with OEDIT and other state and regional stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of the plans. Once finalized, the Tactical Workforce Plans will be published in December 2025 and linked on this webpage. Additionally, the plans will be integrated into Colorado’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state and regional plans to ensure a mechanism for quarterly reporting and accountability to CWDC.

Regional Action Committees

The strategies and tactics in the Tactical Workforce Plans emerged from industry feedback collected during the Regional Talent Summits. To ensure these plans lead to long-term regional competitiveness and economic strength, local workforce boards have formed Regional Action Committees (RACs). These committees ensure that businesses continue to champion the strategies, and that the solutions are appropriate for their needs.

RACs are responsible for reviewing, updating, and implementing the Tactical Workforce Plans. RACs carry out their efforts in collaboration with other business, education, workforce, and economic development partners to ensure there is continued alignment with the goals and desired outcomes that have been reviewed and approved by initial industry attendees of the 2025 Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summits. 

Region 1: Northeast Region 

Counties: Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma

• Mark Johnston, Director, Larimer County Economic & Workforce Development
• Kelsey Baun, Larimer County Economic & Workforce Development
• Tami Grant, Employment Services of Weld County
• Yvonne Meyers, Ft. Collins Chamber of Commerce
• Carol Salter, Weld County Director of Employment Services

Region 2: Denver Region

Counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin, Jefferson

• Kat Douglas, Tri-County Business and Workforce Center
• Tony Anderson, Denver Economic Development & Opportunity
• Sash Easton, Arapahoe Douglas Works!
• Jodie Kammerzel, Adams County Workforce and Business Center
• Erin Jones, Workforce Boulder County
• Matt Wiggins, Boulder Chamber
• Kami Welch, Arvada Chamber of Commerce
• Rob Newbold, Manufacturer’s Edge
• Lisa Hough, Adams County Regional Economic Partnership
• Joe Rice, Lockheed Martin

Region 3: Southern Region 

Counties: Baca, Bent, Chaffee, Crowley, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa, Lake, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo

• Tracy Gegelman, Industry and Engagement Lead, Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium
• Suzie Miller, Director, Colorado Rural Alliance
• Amy Stang, Business Engagement, Colorado Rural Alliance
• PJ Chenoweth, Baca County Economic Development Council of Colorado
• Leslie Mastrooianni, Southern Colorado Economic Development District

Region 4: Western Region

Counties: Delta, Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, Ouray, Rio Blanco, San Miguel

• Candace Carnahan, Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce
• Heather Nara, Mesa County Workforce Center
• Carolyn Tucker, Colorado Rural Alliance

Region 5: South Central Region

Counties: Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos, Costilla, Dolores, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan

• Patrick Garrett, Colorado Rural Alliance
• Ashley Maestas, Pathways Director, The Attainment Network
• Suzie Miller, Director, Colorado Rural Alliance
• Amy Stang, Business Engagement, Colorado Rural Alliance

Region 6: Northwest Region

Counties: Eagle, Grand, Jackson, Pitkin, Summit, Routt, Park

• Chris Romer, President, Vail Valley Partnership
• Carolyn Tucker, Colorado Rural Alliance
• Sarah Leonard, Director, Steamboat Chamber
• Amy Stang, Business Engagement, Colorado Rural Alliance

Region 7: Pikes Peak Region

Counties: El Paso, Teller

• Zach Barker, President, Startup Support Center
• Debbie Miller, President, Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce
• Allison Cortez, Chief of Staff Pikes Peak State College
• Tamara Moore, CEO Relevel LLC
• Traci Marques, Pikes Peak Workforce Center

Action Is Already Underway

Several organizations are proactively launching initiatives based on the insights from the summits:

• ColoradoThrives, an employer-led organization committed to driving economic mobility, has launched a Career Exposure Campaign to highlight opportunities for employers to showcase quality career paths to the next generation of talent.
• Leaders from all seven regions are currently engaged in the Colorado Talent Academy, hosted by Colorado Succeeds, to develop advanced skills and accelerate scalable talent solutions within their local communities.

This proactive work is a testament to the commitment of our partners across the state. The CWDC is excited to support the RACs as they formalize these efforts and turn strategic plans into lasting impact for Colorado’s workers and employers.

A Framework for Action: Key Themes from the Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summits

Insight from these summits has merged with statewide strategies and research to yield four foundational investment pillars that are critical for securing Colorado’s economic future:

1. Igniting the Future Talent Pipeline: We must formalize how we expose the next generation to high-demand career pathways, prioritizing early, in-person career experiences. This requires more than career fairs; it demands early, immersive experiences and expanded access to workforce readiness programs.
2. Energizing a Skills-Based Economy: The market demands a shift from traditional timelines to agile, responsive training. The key is scaling skills-first practices, including innovative work-based learning, growing registered apprenticeships, and industry-recognized stackable credentials. Leveraging skills and competencies to establish a tighter, more dynamic alignment between our training providers and industry needs will produce workers with immediately applicable skills, accelerating productivity, innovation, and return on investment.
3. Architecting High-Impact Partnerships: Disparate efforts lead to the inefficient use of resources, unclear entry points, and employer fatigue. A recommended solution is to build industry-specific statewide strategies for business-led, high-impact public-private collaborations. This includes establishing centralized resource hubs that streamline engagement and create a unified, coordinated force for talent development, bridging the gaps between training and industry, and tight collaboration with regional structures.
4. Removing Talent Barriers: Colorado’s economic engine relies on our talented people. Yet foundational issues exist that negatively impact the workforce and increase challenges for business in hiring. As a state, Colorado must leverage existing and transformational proactive solutions to tackle socio-economic challenges—specifically the cost of housing, transportation, and childcare, as well as competitive wages. Addressing these foundational issues is paramount for both attracting and retaining the talent Colorado needs to thrive.

Key Takeaways by Industry

During the Summits, each key industry identified specific, high-yield opportunities where targeted collaboration can unlock significant growth. Below is a summary of key takeaways by industry:

Advanced Manufacturing

Industry leaders see a critical opportunity to integrate automation and digital literacy into all training programs. The goal is twofold: attract a younger, tech-savvy generation and upskill the current workforce to modernize production. This requires recruiting instructors with recent industry experience to ensure training is relevant and immediately applicable.

Aerospace & Defense

According to industry, the primary bottleneck to growth is the federal security clearance process. This strategy could leverage Colorado’s talent pool of military veterans and K-12 pipeline for students prepared to meet clearance requirements, directly addressing a major industry pain point, including early pathways.

Construction & Agriculture: These sectors require a new approach to talent development that modernizes trades education in high schools and the mechanisms for reskilling adults. Industry leaders are ready to partner with educators to co-design programs that address specific skill gaps, from construction professionals trained on the latest technologies to ag-tech specialists and skilled meat cutters.

Early Childhood Education

The Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector emphasized sustainable resources as the most critical factor for stability and growth. Industry representatives are developing unified messaging to advocate for predictable funding, highlighting the direct link between a stable ECE sector and the ability of the broader workforce to participate in the economy.

Health Care

Leaders cite a hiring bottleneck due to a lack of clinical training availability. The industry seeks to partner on expanding work-based learning programs that offer clinical experience. Leveraging health care professionals to deliver training without leaving their existing positions would increase the capacity of training programs and directly address the shortage of qualified health care professionals to expand clinical opportunities.

Renewables & Clean Energy

These sectors face unique talent needs that can be met through skill-based pathways and talent exchanges. The renewables sector requires clear pathways that attract talent from adjacent industries by valuing transferable skills.

Technology

Industry representatives see an opportunity to ensure digital literacy and technology skills are integrated into hands-on trades programs, and to recruit instructors with industry experience.

Tourism

Industry representatives see an opportunity to develop a system for coordinating seasonal talent exchanges. This would be supported by the adoption of shared forms and processes, shared benefits platforms, and opt-in databases.

Key Collaborators

Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT)

Local Workforce Development Boards

Colorado Succeeds: Colorado Talent Academy

Colorado State Chamber of Commerce

Colorado Thrives

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in the Tactical Regional Workforce Plans?

• A needs assessment of each region’s related resources, needs, and challenges, incorporating data from the landscape analyses and summit outcomes.
• Regional two- and five-year industry-led goals for developing career pathway solutions in high-need fields.
• Action steps, including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), to achieve regional two- and five-year goals.

What are the expectations of Regional Action Committees?

• Regional Action Committees will be responsible for reaching out to regional stakeholders for their input and representing their region’s voice by providing the Program Facilitator with timely feedback on the draft Tactical Regional Workforce Plans.
• After the Regional Workforce Plan has been published in the 2025 CO Talent Pipeline Report, Regional Action Committees will lead implementation of the workforce plan.
• Regional Action Committees will be responsible for submitting an annual progress report to the CWDC for publication in the CO Talent Pipeline Report through 2030. This reporting process will take place in alignment with the WIOA reporting process.

Which documents will ultimately be published in the Colorado Talent Pipeline Report (TPR)?

• For the 2025 TPR, the Regional Talent Summits Synopsis and the Tactical Regional Workforce Plans will be shared. Annually through 2030, updates on progress achieved on Tactical Regional Workforce Plans will be published in the TPR. 

When are WIOA reports submitted to CWDC?

• Annually through 2030, Local Workforce Boards report on progress on regional goals. The updated Regional Plans, incorporating goals from the Regional Talent Summits, are due in May 2026 from local workforce boards to CWDC.

My organization is already driving work named in my region’s plan. What can I do to help with alignment?

• Connect with your RAC point of contact. Your efforts can be reflected in your region’s plan and help to reduce duplicated or siloed efforts in our ecosystem.