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Plan: Colorado PYs 2024-2027
Combined Plan C

Section: WIOA State Plan Common Elements

Narrative: II. a. 1. C.

Published
Located in:
  • II. Strategic Elements

    The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a Strategic Planning Elements section that analyzes the State’s current economic environment and identifies the State’s overall vision for its workforce development system.  The required elements in this section allow the State to develop data-driven goals for preparing an educated and skilled workforce and to identify successful strategies for aligning workforce development programs to support economic growth.  Unless otherwise noted, all Strategic Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. Where requirements identify the term “populations”, these must include individuals with barriers to employment as defined at WIOA Section 3.  This  includes displaced homemakers; low-income individuals; Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians; individuals with disabilities, including youth who are individuals with disabilities; older individuals; ex-offenders; homeless individuals, or homeless children and youths; youth who are in or have aged out of the foster care system; individuals who are English language learners, individuals who have low levels of literacy, and individuals facing substantial cultural barriers; farmworkers (as defined at section 167(i) of WIOA and Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 35-14); individuals within 2 years of exhausting lifetime eligibility under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; single parents (including single pregnant women); and long-term unemployed individuals.  Additional populations include veterans, unemployed workers, and youth, and others that the State may identify.

         

     

II. a. 1. C. Comparison of Economic and Workforce Analytical Conclusion. Describe areas of opportunity for meeting hiring, education, and skills needs identified in the economy compared to the assets available in the labor force in the state.

Current Narrative:

Colorado currently benefits from a diverse economy and labor market. The unemployment rate has stayed below the national average since emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and the labor force participation rate has consistently been in the top five in the nation. The labor force is highly skilled and Colorado was announced in February 2024 by the Lumina Foundation as the leading state in the nation for credential attainment. 

As our data show, however, the number of job openings continues to outpace the number of people unemployed and looking for work. Our talent development strategies must therefore be based on understanding the specific skill sets needed by employers and then connect learners and earners to training opportunities for those skills as efficiently as possible. In the midst of this supply and demand dynamic, we also recognize that technology continues to evolve rapidly, Colorado’s workforce is aging, and Colorado’s population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse.

Therefore, in order to equip workers and learners with the skills they need to advance and meet the needs of businesses, it is critical to align actions based on the assets our state currently has.

For credentialed and skilled Coloradans, we will:

  • Bridge gaps across the workforce development ecosystem by aligning state and federal investments to build quality opportunities that are demand-driven and meet regional needs.
  • Align and expand data on postsecondary programs and workforce outcomes across state agencies and offices. The well-governed, responsible sharing of data will enable Colorado to tell a more holistic story of student and workforce experiences and the returns gained to the individual, communities, and the state.
  • Continue to cultivate career pathways aimed to address changing labor market conditions (such as bolstered demand) while increasing public awareness and interest.
  • Provide free education and career planning platforms (such as My Colorado Journey) and dashboards that showcase the research we publish and other resources free to the public (such as the Colorado Talent Dashboard). 

For Coloradans who need to develop new skills, we will:

  • Blur the lines between K-12, postsecondary education and training, and the workforce, including embracing earn and learn models with employers as co-producers of talent.
  • Improve access to education and training opportunities leading to quality, in-demand credentials.
  • Advance strategies to recruit and retain under-tapped talent from traditionally marginalized groups and enhance job quality.
  • Develop and advance stackable credential pathways across fields and institutions of higher education. 

For all Coloradans, we will: 

  • Continue to keep Colorado’s talent development network focused on enhancing quality, equity, access, and affordability of all programs and training opportunities that connect Coloradans to in-demand, high-paying careers.
  • Utilize robust/valid models that emphasize skills-based hiring, work-based learning, on-the-job training, upskilling, career exposure, economic mobility, and return on investment that are keen areas of interest for the state.
  • Utilize a team of data experts that are capable of projecting demand and are effective at workforce planning. 
  • Continue to employ the sector partnership model as Colorado’s primary vehicle to engage with business and industry in talent development. 
  • Advance skills-based hiring and work-based learning initiatives throughout the state.