Narrative: III. a. 2. C.

(C ) COORDINATION, ALIGNMENT AND PROVISION OF SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS 

Job seekers in Colorado are served by the statewide network of workforce centers as well as by the myriad government, education, and nonprofit organization locations of one-stop partner programs. All comprehensive workforce centers offer the full range of WIOA Title I-B, WagnerPeyser, Veterans, and TAA services in a co-located model, and many local areas across the state have other partners co-located as well. 

Regardless of location, customers of the public workforce system receive high-quality services designed to meet their specific needs. In a number of offices, the first question a customer hears is “What brings you in today?”, which creates a welcoming environment and sets up staff members to serve the highest need of the customer in the fastest amount of time. Within the parameters of each statutorily defined program, Colorado has implemented special initiatives to provide comprehensive, customized and coordinated services to targeted populations with barriers to employment. 

UI Claimants, Long-Term Unemployed, Under-Employed, Dislocated Workers, Trade Displaced Workers, Displaced Homemakers 

Workforce Development Programs/UI Strategic Partnership - The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Workforce Development Programs and the Unemployment Insurance Division have a long-standing partnership to coordinate reemployment initiatives for claimants and the long-term unemployed. The two programs work closely to strategically plan and support implementation of initiatives designed to benefit their shared customers. The largest joint endeavors include: 

• Development of a strategic plan for reemployment initiatives: State and local stakeholder input was obtained on ways to improve communications and partnerships between the workforce and UI systems. The information was used to develop annual and long-term goals to promote reemployment and a more seamless customer experience. These goals included reducing by at least one week or maintaining the average duration of UI benefits through enhanced data sharing between the UI and workforce databases, and implementation of Colorado’s RESEA program. 

o Design and Implementation of Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA): RESEA’s focus is on engaging Unemployment Insurance claimants deemed most likely to exhaust UI benefits who have collected their first weekly benefit payment, to provide earlier workforce engagement and increased services to help expedite their return to work. RESEA was implemented in January 2016 and is active statewide. 

• Displaced Homemaker Program: In addition to services available through WagnerPeyser and the WIOA Dislocated Worker formula programs, State funds are utilized to provide employment and training services to eligible displaced homemakers who, through divorce, separation, widowhood, or ineligibility for other public assistance, have lost their source of economic support. The “Keep Envisioning Your Success (KEYS)” Scholarship is a partnership between Workforce Development Programs (WDP) and the Community College of Denver (CCD) to provide reemployment services to individuals who lost their primary source of income and must re-enter the labor market. Services include tuition scholarships, job training, career assessment, supportive services, personal and vocational counseling, and job development and placement. WDP has provided additional funding to enable CCD to increase KEYS Scholarships for summer students to help them achieve their educational goals faster and move towards successful employment, and this successful partnership will continue going forward. 

Low-Income Individuals 

• WIOA Adult Priority of Service: The state and all local workforce areas have adopted an adult priority of service policy that targets public assistance recipients, other low income individuals, and those who are basic skills deficient. This WIOA requirement will ensure that up to 100% of Colorado’s WIOA Adult customers will come from these priority populations. 
• Colorado Works: Within the parameters of Federal regulation and State policy and rules, county human service departments have considerable flexibility in operating their Colorado Works program, particularly around the programming for those considered “work-eligibles”. Many counties have found that robust partnerships with the one-stop center in their community is a natural fit that leverages the resources and employer- base available through the workforce development system for the benefit of Colorado Works participants.
• Here is snapshot of the integration that was already in place prior to the passage of WIOA between workforce centers and Colorado Works programs:

• In several workforce development areas, the workforce system resides within the umbrella of the county human service department, and in some instances, full integration of these two systems is the norm for service delivery. This is the case in Adams County’s workforce development programs, which are embedded in the same department as the county human service programs. One shared facility serves both WIOA customers as well as those seeking and receiving public assistance, and operations are fully integrated. In other areas, particularly in metropolitan communities, while workforce may sit outside the county human service governance structure, MOUs or contracts have been established for the provision of career services to Colorado Works participants within the workforce system. An example of this structure can be found in Arapahoe County, where human services and workforce are both county operated, but reside in different departments. The Arapahoe/Douglas Workforce Center has long operated the Colorado Works program through a contract with the county human service department, to notable results in employment entry for Colorado Works’ participants. In both instances, human service agencies benefit from strong relationships to the employer, economic development, and resource base of the workforce system.
• However, dozens of counties in the state of Colorado do not have a physical one-stop location, and the ability to conveniently access services is a critical one, particularly for customers who may lack transportation resources. In these areas, connection with the workforce development system may take the form of participation on the local workforce board, or informal referrals and relationships. Colorado’s large geographic area, as the 6th largest state in the country, poses challenges to rural communities. The Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium continues to establish innovative approaches to help bridge these gaps through technology. The CRWC is excited to partner with the Future of Work Office as one of the key goals being explored is to empower individuals, employers, and communities to create their own digital transformation plan. Together, the CRWC and the Future of Work Office will build awareness and equip the rural workforce system with tools and strategies to increase their resilience through a digital transformation plan. One example of this is to hold regional convenings to share and inform the digital transformation framework.

Youth 

Governor’s Summer Job Hunt (GSJH): The GSJH is a statewide program that supports Colorado’s young adults, ages 14-24, through workforce readiness, career exploration and interest-based job search. During Program Year 2022, the GSJH served more than 38,275 young adults, 2019 employers, and had a 62.4 percent rate of successful job placement rate.  

Funding for the program is provided through the Governor’s Wagner-Peyser 10% discretionary funds, administered by CDLE/Workforce Development Programs to the local workforce areas, primarily to cover staffing costs and costs for program outreach. 

The GSJH will continue to utilize successful strategies such as: 

• Hosting monthly technical assistance and collaboration meetings, virtually, providing updates for the state-wide team of GSJH staff and interested parties, where  information is shared, presentations and technical assistance are offered, and local areas share promising practices and models. 
• Manually collecting data utilizing Google sheets in a team room environment to capture participation data for workshops, job and career fairs, business participation, and other activity not easily reported through Connecting Colorado. 
• Encouraging focus on Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship, including introduction to internships, pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship.  Local areas are coordinating with industry to host apprenticeship fairs and informational events for young adults. 
• Alignment and collaboration with the Colorado Workforce Development Council through the Education and Training Committee and the State Youth Council.
• Awareness and alignment with the Governor’s Wildly Important Goals that pertain to the workforce system, and in particular, youth and young adults.
• Awareness of the US DOL’s approaches and areas of focus, support, as related to youth and young adult programs.
• Conducting targeted outreach within schools, partner organizations, community-based organizations, etc. 
• Partnerships with youth serving organizations and foundations who focus on opportunity youth, professional development, etc. 
• Career Preparatory Experiences, including resume preparation, mock interviewing, industry and career research, educational & training pathway development. 
• Industry tours (Career Road Trips) targeted at growth industries, and hosted for youth, parents, and teachers. 
• Entrepreneurial training and competitions
• Sector partnership-based workshops, followed up with industry specific job fairs. 
• GSJH Facebook page: Utilized to promote local job fairs and workshops, state events, and partner events.https://www.facebook.com/govsummerjobhunt 
• Think Big Youth Forum: An annual statewide youth service provider conference that typically includes over 200 people from the state and local workforce system, education and higher education systems, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, local youth councils, and many other state and local organizations. 
• Teen Jobline 9: Colorado has a successful partnership with Denver NBC affiliate 9News TV station to host Teen Jobline 9 features staffed by representatives from the state and Denver metro area workforce centers to answer phone calls from parents, grandparents, guardians, and youth with questions about summer employment opportunities. 
• Denver 7 Jobline:  CDLE was approached by Channel 7, our Denver ABC affiliate, to host teen joblines. 

Individuals with Disabilities 

Because of  the success of the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) grant and the Disability Program Navigator (DPN) program pilot year, CDLE’s Workforce Development Programs (WDP) continued the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA ) momentum to increase the number of individuals with disabilities served in the local workforce areas  across the state. In collaboration with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), WDP and local workforce areas established the DPN  program that incorporates DEIA practices by supporting Disability Program Navigator (DPN) positions in nine of Colorado's local workforce areas, with the intent of  expanding  the DPN initiative statewide to include rural Colorado. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR): The focus of the DVR program is to provide individualized and customized services and supports to individuals with disabilities. DVR staff are subject matter experts who will commit to work with the staff of core and combined plan program partners to support their efforts to provide effective services to individuals with disabilities. DVR will strive to coordinate individualized DVR plans for employment with the plans developed for individuals by other core and combined plan partners, and assure that the DVR plan is complementary to these other plans, whenever feasible. Coordination between programs will be supported by working and, as appropriate, formal partnership agreements with state community partners to create referral processes and jointly deliver services to customers, including customers from unserved and underserved populations. At the local level, DVR will work with core and combined plan partners as well as other community resources, to reach out to unserved and underserved populations. Particularly, DVR will focus efforts on underserved youth (youth from the foster care, juvenile justice, and mental health systems), homeless individuals, and individuals with limited education. Finally, DVR will seek to coordinate and improve partnerships with Colorado’s American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Mountain Ute Tribe. 

Adult Learners 

As the entity responsible for management and oversight of Title II funds, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) Office of Adult Education Initiatives (AEI) will work collaboratively with partners within the Combined State Plan to ensure effective and efficient career pathways for Coloradans. First, AEI will host regular Adult Workforce Partnerships Advisory Committee meetings with representation from core programs in Colorado’s talent development system (as outlined in 22-10-106, C.R.S.). During these meetings, opportunities for collaborative planning and information sharing will occur. AEI will coordinate and promote activities that bring together adult education and family literacy providers with workforce development practitioners, which may include joint meetings and trainings. AEI will develop and provide technical assistance for adult education and family literacy providers funded through Title II to assist with WIOA core partner collaboration at the local level as needed.  

Veterans 

Colorado will continue its strong tradition of promoting the training, hiring and retention of veterans, plus ensuring veterans priority of service in all USDOL funded programs. This will be accomplished through close working relationships with workforce system partners to make sure that veterans are represented to potential employers and business owners as qualified and professional employees who bring a unique set of skills to the workplace. The state workforce system delivers the full array of labor and employment services to Colorado veterans at all 52 of its State and County-run full-service Workforce Centers and satellite offices around the state. Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialists and Consolidated Veteran Services Representatives (CVSR: consolidated DVOP/LVER) at the centers provide veterans with employment services such as job matching and referral to posted job openings, vocational and career guidance, labor market information, plus workshops on resume preparation and conducting effective job searches. Staff also refer eligible and qualified veterans to appropriate WIOA funded training programs and discretionary initiatives, as well as registered apprenticeship programs throughout the state. 

In addition to State and County workforce center employees, who provide career services to all veterans, CDLE currently employs 16 full-time Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialists, 6 full-time Local Veteran Employment Specialists (LVER), 3 Consolidated Veteran Services Representatives (CVSR: consolidated DVOP/LVER) and a State Veterans Coordinator assigned throughout the state. These positions are funded through a US DOL Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) grant and fulfill all responsibilities mandated by the grant programs, including the provision of  targeted career management services to veterans with Significant Barriers to Employment (SBE’s). The Jobs for Veterans State Grants Plan is included under Section VII. Veterans grant staff also serves other populations of veterans in the State through MOUs.  

Those populations include: 

• National Guard and Reserve members returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - only if the individual meets eligibility criteria per most recent guidance (VPL 03-14, and 03-19). In particular, Virtual Job Fair Technology is being utilized to assist this group with veterans resource sites, accessed while they are still overseas, and virtual job fairs when they return to this country.  
• Service-connected disabled veterans, who are targeted and identified through various Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) as well as outreach activities at Veteran Centers, Veterans Administration Medical Centers, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs.)  
• Members of the Armed services who are wounded, ill and injured and receiving treatment in Military Treatment Facilities (MTF) or Warrior Transition Units (WTU) through relationships established with the Wounded Warrior Program located at Fort Carson. 
• Incarcerated veterans, who are identified and contacted through “in-reach” activities conducted within correctional facilities managed by the Colorado Department of Corrections. DVOPs will also work in partnership with the Veteran Offender initiatives described in detail below under Justice-Involved Individuals.  
• Homeless Veterans - Veteran Employment Specialists work with the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP) to provide one-on-one employment assistance and supportive services to homeless veterans including, but not limited to, resume and interviewing preparation, employment workshops, job search assistance and job referrals. The supportive services provided include, but are not limited to, rent assistance, food, and transportation funding. 

Older Individuals 

Senior Community Service Employment Program: Most of the SCSEP participants have been out of school for over 40 years and have limited work history or a history of unskilled labor. Those who have been out of the workforce for some time may not be aware of what is acceptable and unacceptable in the workplace; so workplace etiquette and customer service training is provided to give the participant the tools to ensure successful participation. Additionally, employer preferences have been trending toward computer/technology competencies as among the most-in-demand job skills. This preference is also observed consistently among SCSEP staff across project locations. Participants who have computer/technology skills, or are willing to develop these skills, are able to obtain unsubsidized employment faster and often with a higher wage. Many host agency supervisors commented that the participants need to have already obtained some basic computer skills prior to starting the Community Service Assignment (CSA) at the host agency. The host agency satisfaction surveys identify similar sentiments. Project staff have also found that participants with basic computer skills are more confident in their abilities and are more valuable to employers. 

Through the additional training and supportive services provisions, the State of Colorado will be able to ensure a more widespread adoption of computer/technology training efforts. Training and supportive services will ensure barriers to employment have been mitigated to the greatest extent possible and develop participants who are more confident, computer literate, and have greater access to opportunities. Participants will be more marketable due to their newfound confidence in handling modern technologies. Greater confidence with technology will aid participants beyond employment as they become masters of simple yet oftentimes intimidating technologies that create barriers in their life, such as point-of-sale (POS) machines, ATMs, and tablet-based forms increasingly used in healthcare and medical facilities. 

Colorado SCSEP will take advantage of the unique resources available through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, and its statewide network of Workforce Centers (WFC), by utilizing WFC staff to assist in creating training and employment opportunities for participants of SCSEP. CDLE and the statewide network of workforce centers continue to work with and support the efforts oftheSenior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) under the Colorado Department of Human Services: Aging and Adult Services, through participation on the Older Worker Task Force, which promotes connections between the SCSEP service providers, their participants and the workforce centers. In addition, workforce centers have older worker specialists, who provide workshops and employment services that are customized for this targeted group, and have developed MOUs with the Title V Older Worker service providers. Colorado will continue to place SCSEP participants at WFC locations and collaborate with other WFC partners such as Veteran Services and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to maximize participant referrals and optimize participant training. To assist 

SCSEP participants in the development of their on-line and computer literacy skills, the WFCs eColorado has a multitude of on-line options pertaining to career exploration, education and employment. Since SCSEP participants are required to enroll with a WFC, they will attend WFC classes that enhance/upgrade their skills. The WFCs play a pivotal role in training the participants and improving their opportunities for employment. Moving forward with WIOA a system wide State training plan will be implemented to assure job seekers receive the best possible information regarding programs that may benefit them to achieve gainful employment. 

The complete SCSEP plan is included under section VII and further describes the initiatives for serving this population. 

Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers 

The Wagner-Peyser Agricultural Outreach Plan (see the complete plan under Section VI) sets policies, and objectives with regard to providing services to the agricultural community, specifically Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers (MSFWs). The Colorado Department of Labor & Employment (CDLE) provides these services through the statewide network of workforce centers to ensure that MSFWs receive the full range of employment, training, and educational services on a basis which is qualitatively equivalent and quantitatively proportionate to the services provided to non-MSFWs. 

During the next five program years, the five significant workforce centers will continue to provide quality employment services and referrals to appropriate agencies as part of their assistance to the MSFW population. The contracts with each workforce area will contain provisions to ensure that MSFWs receive the full range of employment and training services offered to the general public. CDLE will continue to provide technical assistance to the local areas in their planning activities to help ensure that the needs of MSFWs are addressed, and that the workforce development system is in full compliance with the Judge Ritchie court order and federal rules and regulations. 

New Americans 

In 2021 Colorado codified the Office of New Americans (ONA) through HB21-1150, enhancing Colorado’s focus on integrating its New American community into its workforce. In 2022,ONA submitted recommendations, hired staff, and published the first statewide immigrant integration plan. ONA, located within the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, works alongside other cabinet departments and the Governor’s office, to develop and implement specific strategies to help Colorado harness the skills of the New American community. Strategic alignment of efforts across state government will accelerate these efforts. This will require continued focused and collaborative work at the state and local levels that will include policy development, training and technical assistance, and authentic community engagement. Workforce Development Boards are encouraged to consider how to increase access and positive outcomes for refugees and immigrants, working alongside state-level efforts to integrate refugees and immigrants into our broader Colorado community.  Local boards will be encouraged to employ New American navigators. This will include support from ONA in the design of the role and development and delivery of trainings. Local areas that have their own version of a New American navigator on their teams are top performers in New American employment services.

During the next several years, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment will deploy additional policy guidance, technical assistance, and community engagement efforts to structure a statewide approach to including services to the New American community in its workforce efforts. Local workforce centers will be encouraged to develop and implement strategies to ensure their services are accessible to immigrant and refugee communities, and CDLE will exercise its abilities, potentially through contracting, goal setting, monitoring and/or data reporting, to align efforts with statewide goals to ensure Colorado is a state that works for all Coloradans. 

Justice-Involved Individuals 

Over the past several years, CDLE has designed, implemented and managed several highly successful ex-offender employment and training programs in collaboration with multiple state and local agencies. Among these were the “Stop the Revolving Door” and “Motherhood” initiatives, which provided employment and training services to 839 participants, and achieved a 71% entered employment rate as well as a 9% recidivism rate during the first year of postprogram follow-up. 

• Colorado Pathway Home - In July 2020, USDOL awarded Colorado Department of Labor $4 million in re-entry grant funds for the Pathway Home project. This grant will provide pre and post-release training and job readiness services to justice-involved individuals. This is the first time federal funds can be used pre-release.  This project is the first pilot program to focus workforce resources pre-release, employing numerous partnerships to provide continuity of services. CDLE, CDOC, Workforce Centers, CDHE, and community partners are dedicated to the development of sustainable pre and post-release services.   The grant program's measurable outcome is to enroll 350 participants and reduce new offense 1 year recidivism rate to 8.73%  (10% reduction) by providing continuity of care for at least a year post-release. Pathway Home experienced a delayed program start due to COVID. Enrollment in the program began in June 2021. The program has enrolled 503 participants , has a credential attainment rate  of 98% and a recidivism rate of 3.8% as of June 30, 2023. . 
• Workforce Development Programs/CDOC Strategic Partnership-Workforce 

Development Programs has a long-standing partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC). Among the initiatives that are being developed and implemented as a result of this partnership are the following: 

• Re-entry Employment and Training Navigators - Through state legislation, CDOC has established four employment and training navigators that work with businesses to develop employment opportunities for parolees. Through the WDP/CDOC partnership, these staff have access to Connecting Colorado for tracking employer contacts and they will be integrated into the Business Services teams in the appropriate workforce centers to coordinate employer outreach. 
• Connecting Colorado for Incarcerated Offenders - As a demonstration project, CDLE provided access to the statewide Connecting Colorado self-service job matching system inside one set of prisons during June 2012, allowing inmates to register for employment. In order to safeguard the workforce system’s employers, inmate registrations will not be activated until release; however, they will have the ability to search for job possibilities and learn about the job requirements as part of their preparation for transition into the labor market. Upon release they can update and fully complete their registrations and have them activated by CDOC staff, who have been trained in Connecting Colorado administrative functions. Connecting Colorado will continue to be available statewide to all public and private prisons under the jurisdiction of CDOC. 
• The Office of the Future of Work (OFW) has partnered with the CDOC to design high-quality pre-apprenticeships and RAPs within correctional institutions to ensure training during incarceration is industry-relevant and prepares for successful transition post-release. CDOC is leveraging $78K of state funds annually through 2024 towards the SAEEI grant to support program personnel at the OFW and the Apprenticeship Hub. 

The Veteran-specific curriculum to be created will be a complementary blend of programs developed by Veterans for Veterans, like the family reintegration curriculum developed by the U.S. Army for soldiers discharging from the military with the TAP (Transition Assistance Employment Program), and evidenced-based psycho-social programs developed by experts in the field. The 16-week specialized curriculum will also include a “Speaker’s Series,” designed to increase releasing Veterans’ knowledge of essential life skills topics. Colorado’s current Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program will be integrated into this initiative and will also be involved in providing mentoring services to participants. The staff and instructors for this program will be Veterans themselves - Veterans teaching Veterans. 

Since employment is paramount to success, incarcerated Veterans will have the opportunity to expand their skills through vocational programs designed for this special population. The collaborating agencies are also working with the local workforce system to leverage funds for specialized on-the-job trainings, work experiences and internships to better prepare Veterans for employment, as well as help them utilize and transition the skills they learned in the military. CDOC is considering creating a Veteran-specific parole officer position to support Veteran offenders upon release from prison. This position will provide a continuation of services, attitude and expectations for the Veteran offender. 

Older Workers

According to the 2021 Colorado Talent Pipeline Report, from 2010 to 2019 the number of Coloradans over the age of 65 grew by nearly 41%, a trend that is expected to continue. This burgeoning population constitutes a large portion of the state’s workforce: as the Bell Policy Center notes, adults 55 and older are projected to be the fastest growing segment of the labor force through 2024. The center also notes that the number of working Coloradans aged 65 and older is expected to more than double between 2010 and 2030. 

Older workers are and will continue to be critical to Colorado’s economic well being. In 2018, prior to the pandemic, more than one third of Coloradans aged 60 and older reported that they were working. Today, research shows that older workers have been hit hard by the pandemic: in response to a Changing the Narrative survey of Coloradans 50 and older, more than half of participants indicated their work status had been negatively affected as a result of Covid-19. The most commonly identified negative impacts were being  laid  off  from  their  work  (24%), followed  by  a  decrease  in  work  hours  (11%)  or  being  furloughed  from  work  (11%). 

Despite their significant contributions to the state’s economy, many face barriers to employment, including ageism, defined as prejudice or discrimination based on one’s age. These barriers to employment have real world consequences for older workers, many of whom are looking for work in order to simply survive. The Changing the Narrative survey asked participants their primary reason for looking for work; the top four were:

• To sustain daily living (78%)
• A need to increase retirement security (76%)
• Seeking purpose through work (74%), and
• Seeking security against uncertainty (70%)

In order to advance the state’s economic recovery in meaningful ways, older workers will need support tailored to their unique needs. To best serve older workers, training is provided on a continuing basis to those working in the public workforce system, as well as their partners. The Office of the Future of Work is also working on a variety of initiatives to support older workers, including: a commitment to expanding access to apprenticeships for older workers and addressing the digital divide.

A continued challenge facing the public workforce system is a lack of data collection processes specific to older workers. The CWDC is aware of the need to be able to disaggregate current data by age brackets and of the importance of the insights such disaggregation would provide. 

The CWDC leverages the best available data platforms to explore national and state-level workforce trends coming from these older age groups participating in the labor market. One channel we measure labor market supply and demand by age group is through the EMSI Burning Glass – economicmodeling.com data tool. Based on data collected through online job postings and profiles, EMSI provides a demographic breakdown by age of individuals for a particular occupation or industry. While this platform provides the most disaggregated data we have available to us in relation to age cohorts, it is not broken down at the source beyond 55-64 to 65+ age groups for older workers. Furthermore, given that the data is sourced through online postings, individuals who have remained in the labor force or entered the market without using an online platform would likely be undercounted. 

We additionally continue to utilize the public data housed at the U.S. Census Bureau as well as CDLE’s Labor Market Information (LMI) Office for workforce data by age groups. The LMI Office works together with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to produce official labor market estimates data on Colorado and sub-state areas. Here, age information is sourced through the Current Population Survey (CPS) and presented as 12-month moving averages (twelve-month moving averages are calculated differently than the official estimates of unemployment and are unable to be compared directly to one another). Based on the CPS, we are currently unable to observe: 

• Employment status by sex, age, race/ethnicity beyond 16+, 16-19, and 20+ age groups;
• Civilians not in the labor force by sex and age beyond 16 to 24, 25 to 54, and 55+ age groups; and
•  Unemployed persons by sex, age, race/ethnicity beyond 16+, 16-19, and 20+ age groups.

At the present time, the CPS provides no information associated with employment status by educational attainment across age groups. 

While these sources of information help us to better understand our statewide communities, there are significant disaggregation barriers for age groups. This limits the way in which we are able to identify areas of need and potential gaps across the workforce age distribution, and in particular, for our older workers.  

Workforce Assessments for Job Seekers 

The Workforce System Assessment Team undertook a survey of local workforce areas, WIOA partners, vocational rehabilitation and adult education (Colorado Department of Education) on what assessment tools they currently use to better inform CDLE, local workforce colleagues, and our partners as to what assessments tools are used and what they are used for. Based on the survey results, CDLE is creating a Colorado Assessment Guide to assist the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and local workforce areas in the vetting, selection, use, and discontinuation of various career assessment tools.