PRESS RELEASE

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment • 633 Seventeenth Street, Suite 1200 • Denver, CO 80202 •

(303) 318-8004 • Fax: (303) 318-8070

Report calls for coordinated statewide effort to implement key recommendations for guiding workforce development into the future

(DENVER) – To better position Colorado to meet the challenges of workforce development and business retention in the years ahead, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment in partnership with the Colorado Workforce Development Council today announced the release of a comprehensive report which documents their findings of shortcomings and strengths in the existing system.

Colorado’s workforce development has come to the forefront as a key driver in business attraction, retention and expansion. Industries such as energy, healthcare and information technology report a struggle to find qualified workers to meet the higher skill requirements of today’s workplace. The State of Colorado’s Talent Development: Competing In The Twenty-First Century Economy presents an assessment of the current situation and – more importantly – offers recommendations to address what can be done.

“The report released today marks a significant milestone for Colorado,” says Rich Baer, chair of the Colorado Workforce Development Council. “It underscores the importance of talent development as a key strategic imperative not just for individual companies, but for entire industries and our state as a whole. Its analysis of the situation and its recommendations will serve as a vital tool in attracting, developing and retaining talent.”

§ Information Technology jobs remain an important sector of our economy. A recent study ranked Colorado third in the nation for high tech jobs.

§ Developing a workforce equipped with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills is critical to Colorado’s economic future.

§ The report says the state’s aging workforce “will be a tsunami-like demographic force that will significantly change the workforce and economic dynamics of the state.”

§ The “Colorado Paradox” remains one of the state’s greatest challenges to long-term prosperity. Thirty percent of high school students do not graduate; another thirty percent do not enroll in college and half of those who enroll do not graduate in five years. Colorado is fueling a significant portion of its economic growth from other states and that is a dangerous strategy, one that does not seem likely to work long-term.

Colorado’s Talent Development report provides some tactical workforce development advice on how to expand the talent pool and close the skills gap before it becomes any wider. The report establishes key principles for guiding the state strategic plan on workforce development.

§ Building increased support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs.

§ Increasing student, parent and educator awareness of “gold collar jobs,” those that support existing as well as emerging technologies in a variety of industries. “Colorado can take the lead in this national issue and create a competitive workforce advantage for Colorado firms,” the report stresses.

§ Promote and enhance regionally targeted industry strategies. “It is important to formally develop state and local partnerships that are designed to respond to specific and focused employment or geographic workforce issues,” the report says.

“Colorado is seen as a world-class location with a highly qualified workforce,” says Department of Labor and Employment Executive Director Donald J. Mares. “As business demands grow in scale, scope and sophistication, we must continue to grow and develop the talent pool. This report provides us with an important framework for doing that work. As a state, we must continue to raise the bar for the professional development of our workforce.”

The Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) advises the Governor and the Colorado Legislature on policy matters related to all programs and activities funded by the Workforce Investment Act. The CWDC has been engaged in creative alliances with industry, economic development, and education, which have helped to infuse over $10 million into the workforce system to support the enrollment, training, and placement of the unemployed, under-employed, and incumbent workers into high-wage jobs. These partnerships reflect the critical importance of education, employment, and economic development to the State's edge and empower the system to be responsive to local issues.

The CWDC dispenses the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) 10% Discretionary Funds to the local regions to ensure that continuous improvement and collaboration are thoroughly implanted within the Colorado workforce system mode of operation. The CWDC tasks its sub-committees to be responsible for the approval and oversight of these 10% Discretionary Fund Grants that are awarded.

This report was prepared for the Colorado Workforce Development Council and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment by The Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. It can be read online at the Workforce Development Council’s website: http://dola.colorado.gov/wdc/index.htm (and click on the State of Talent Development – Full Report link on the right side of the page)