FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Colorado Talent Academy Graduates First Cohort to Strengthen Employer-Led Talent Pipelines Across Colorado
New report highlights how more than 35 regional partners are designing demand-driven pathways in construction, health care, advanced manufacturing, tech, cleantech, and early childhood education
DENVER — Colorado Succeeds is proud to announce the graduation of the first cohort of the Colorado Talent Academy, a six-month program designed to help business, education, and workforce leaders build coordinated, employer-led talent solutions in high-demand industries across the state.
Created and launched in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Academy trains participants in the nationally recognized Talent Pipeline Management®, or TPM, framework. The program equips leaders to move from concept to action by organizing employer collaboratives, defining shared demand, aligning training programs, and strengthening Colorado’s education-to-employment pathways.
Scott Laband, president of Colorado Succeeds, said the graduation marks a major step forward for statewide alignment around employer-led talent development.
“Colorado employers are ready to lead, and the Colorado Talent Academy gives them the structure and tools to do it,” Laband said. “This first cohort has shown what’s possible when business, education, and workforce partners work from the same playbook. Their plans will strengthen regional economies and create clearer pathways for learners across the state.”
Colorado Succeeds released a new report that outlines a statewide approach to employer engagement and details the cohort’s work. The report includes six regional employer collaborative projects advancing solutions in HVAC and construction, advanced manufacturing, cleantech, early childhood education, healthcare, and technology and cybersecurity. Participants worked with regional partners, industry associations, and training providers to design talent solutions rooted in real labor market demand.
“Colorado is fast becoming a national model for aligning education and workforce systems around employer leadership,” said Niki DaSilva, senior director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “Through the Colorado Talent Academy, employers are at the table shaping the talent pipelines they rely on. The results from this first cohort show the power of TPM when regions share data, collaborate, and stay aligned.”
Participants echoed the value of the shared framework and statewide coordination.
“TPM puts into a coherent roadmap or playbook all of my scattered ideas and strategies of trying to do this work over the last decade,” said Bob Gemignani, program director at Pikes Peak Business & Education Alliance.
More than 35 partners, including industry associations, chambers of commerce, workforce centers, educators, and employers, participated in virtual and in-person sessions.
Before the Academy, 60% were unaware of the TPM framework; by the end, 85% said they were confident or extremely confident in applying all six TPM strategies. Ninety-six percent said their overall participation in the Academy was valuable or extremely valuable, and nearly 70% are promoters, resulting in an exceptional Net Promoter Score.
Their final plans include strategies to:
• Increase alignment between regional employer needs and training providers
• Reduce workforce shortages in high-demand sectors such as health care, manufacturing, and cleantech
• Expand earn-and-learn opportunities and improve pathway clarity for learners
• Strengthen collaboration and reduce duplication among regional initiatives
• Build sustainable talent pipelines using shared data, employer voice, and continuous improvement
Building on the momentum of the first cohort, Colorado Succeeds will launch a second Talent Academy cohort in 2026 and expand TPM services to more regions and industries as part of its broader effort to strengthen Colorado’s employer-led talent pipeline.
The full report is available at coloradosucceeds.org/talentacademy.
###
About Colorado Succeeds
Colorado Succeeds is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of business leaders invested in improving schools, changing outcomes for all learners, and shaping the future of Colorado’s workforce. Since 2006, Colorado Succeeds members have worked to build a system where learners are educated to their greatest potential, employers can recruit homegrown talent, and policymakers are responsive to critical needs. We believe great schools are good business. Learn more at coloradosucceeds.org.
Contact: Rachel Van Brocklin, rvanbrocklin@coloradosucceeds.org