FoCUSING ON
HIGHER EDUCATION
At Colorado Succeeds, we believe every student should graduate from high school with a diploma, a high-quality career-connected learning experience, and a path to a postsecondary credential with market value. We are linking arms with partners in education, business, and government from across the state to ensure learners have clear pathways to economic mobility, and that business has the homegrown workforce they need to thrive.
01
Problem
Colorado’s talent pipeline needs major repair. Learners are getting lost, and employers are struggling to hire.
We need a cross-sector collaborative approach to addressing some urgent facts:
50K
NEW Jobs
added in CO in 2022,
yet employers report significant skills gaps
and talent needs
Only half of Colorado high school graduates enroll in college
Nearly
74K
02
OPPORTUNITY
The conversation around the critical challenges of Colorado’s talent pipeline isn’t new, but the pandemic has made addressing it critical. We need to put our state’s students on the path to postsecondary and career success and cultivate a pipeline of workers for in-demand jobs across the state.
THE SOLUTIONS REQUIRE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
THE COST OF NOT TRAINING CITIZENS
for a changing workforce far outweighs the cost of addressing it.
CLOSING THE STATE'S CREDENTIAL GAP
can unlock $12B in GDP - but only if those credentials align with market demand.
THE INFLUX OF FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDING
provides an historic opportunity to finally do something about it - at scale.
03
THE REPORT
Read the new report from Colorado Succeeds, Unlocking Our State’s Potential: One Million Credentials of Value for Coloradans, describing the state’s postsecondary challenges and opportunities for business advocacy and leadership.
UNLOCKING OUR STATE'S POTENTIAL:
One Million Credentials of value for Coloradans
04
Our Goal
Colorado Succeeds is partnering with industry to get:
ONE MILLION
IN-DEMAND CREDENTIALS
into the hands of Coloradans by
2030
05
Solution
ALIGNMENT
Build a collaborative system that combines labor market information, employer insights, and educator feedback to develop the knowledge, skills, and credentials students need for the state’s top jobs.
ACCESS to success
Mobilize within and beyond traditional postsecondary pathways to expand access and opportunity for all learners, particularly those furthest from resources and ensure that all learners enter a career pathway with a living wage that allows them to realize their potential.
Meet postsecondary partners leading the work
06
partners
Thank you to the network partners joining us in this work to improve postsecondary education for Coloradans:
Join us in eliminating the skills gap in colorado
Want to learn more about career-connected learning in Colorado? Colorado Succeeds developed a series of impact briefs analyzing many of the programs currently focused on postsecondary credit opportunities and career-connected learning in high school. View our impact briefs and policy solutions.