Education Pathways to Employment Launch

In a true regional collaboration, the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, and The Weld Trust, in partnership with Colorado Succeeds, proudly announce the public release of the draft Northern Colorado Education Pathways to Employment report.

Drafted in response to current and anticipated workforce development challenges, the draft report outlines what programs and resources exist for learners in Northern Colorado and identifies potential opportunities to support them in achieving career and post-secondary success. The draft report recognizes proactive workforce development as critical to the long-term vitality of Northern Colorado.

The draft Pathways to Employment report considers insights from stakeholder interviews with school districts, higher education institutions, Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development, Employment Services of Weld County, and key regional employers.

Notable takeaways include:

• The Northern Colorado workforce ecosystem is poised to accelerate and scale more efficient and effective pathways to employment.
• Stakeholders are engaged and motivated to continue strengthening partnerships to improve and expand career-based learning opportunities.
• A regional approach is needed to ensure talent pipelines are responsive to labor market demands, programs are built with equity and access in mind, and resources are shared beyond school, district, higher education, and municipal boundaries.

The draft report states the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, and The Weld Trust are well-positioned to convene, activate, and guide key regional stakeholders across the talent continuum. Funding to support further investment in pathways to employment efforts will be explored across public and private sources as opportunities arise.

These three organizations will host a public meeting Friday, January 20, from 7:30am to 9am at High Country Beverage, 4200 Ronald Reagan Blvd, Johnstown, CO 80534, to discuss findings from the report in greater detail, discuss regional priorities, and provide an update on regional efforts to implement recommendations.

To view the draft Northern Colorado Pathways to Employment report, visit https://bit.ly/K20PathwaystoEmployment.