Almost twenty years ago, a small group of Colorado business leaders sat around a table with a shared frustration. They saw a growing disconnect: Colorado was a state of immense opportunity, yet our own homegrown talent was being left behind. The education system was a black box, and the business community was an outsider looking in.
We founded Colorado Succeeds on the simple and then-radical premise that the business community should be one of the most invested, vocal, and constructive partners in education.
In our early years, much of our work was about building the table, bringing together leaders from across the state. But as I look at the challenges facing our state today, the work has evolved. That’s why we have moved from builders of relationships to builders of systems.
The Skilled Workers and Trades Fund, a ballot initiative filed by Colorado Succeeds last month, is a culmination of that work. It is a moment we move from proving what is possible in individual regions and sectors to making it permanent for all of Colorado.
A Legacy of Weaving Education and Industry
At Colorado Succeeds, we spent our first decade ensuring the business voice was heard in the halls of the Capitol, advocating for early literacy and high standards. But we soon realized that standards alone wouldn’t bridge the talent gap. We needed to architect a new kind of system.
We proved it could be done through the Homegrown Talent Initiative, showing that even in our most rural districts, schools and business could partner together to become engines of local economic growth. We scaled that vision through Project SCALE, demonstrating that when industry leaders in construction co-design the curriculum, learners secure better jobs and employers find better talent.
These efforts were built to solve real challenges in real communities. Along the way, they confirmed for us what a modern, employer-led talent system can look like when it works.
Investing in What Works for Colorado Learners & Business
Colorado needs a talent system as agile as the companies powering our economy. We apply business principles to every strategy we deploy. We listen to the market, pilot solutions, and scale what works.
Our 2026 Priorities aren’t a new strategy. They are three levers we’ve been refining for years to ensure that every public dollar invested in education actually delivers a return for the student and the state.
1. Expanding High-Quality Pathways for All
Recently, the state has rallied around “The Big Three,” ensuring every student graduates with college credit, an industry credential, or work-based learning. While the name is new, the work is not. We have spent the last ten years championing policies that credit students for what they know, not just how long they sit in a chair, and building resources to grow career-connected learning, like the Roadmap to Work-Based Learning.
The Skilled Workers and Trades Fund is a capstone of this effort. It provides $150 million in funding to ensure that pathways aren’t just for students with resources or in lucky zip codes. By funding 5,000 scholarships a year for job-aligned training, we are taking steps to turn the Big Three into a statewide guarantee.
For too long, Colorado’s talent efforts have operated in silos. This Fund brings alignment, clarity, and shared direction by centering employer demand and learner outcomes in one cohesive model. It creates the connectivity and continuity our state needs so employers help define readiness, training providers align to real market demand, and learners can move forward on clear, seamless pathways to good jobs.
2. Codifying Business Leadership
Early on, business engagement in education often meant a seat on a task force. We knew it had to mean more. Industry must be a lead partner in defining what readiness looks like for learners.
That’s why this Fund will be overseen by a board of both employers and workers. This ensures that the training being funded today is exactly what the economy needs tomorrow. It’s the ultimate realization of our priority to catalyze business leadership, building a system where industry doesn’t just complain about the talent gap but is empowered to help close it.
3. Defining True Accountability
Colorado Succeeds has always had a laser focus on return on investment for students, channeling limited resources to opportunities for greatest impact. We have consistently pushed for better data and clearer results. Our support for Colorado’s new statewide longitudinal data system isn’t about more spreadsheets. It’s about accountability to learners, families, policymakers, businesses, and communities.
The Skilled Workers and Trades Fund is built on a clear Pay-for-Success accountability model. Public dollars are only reimbursed to training providers once a student successfully completes their program. We are making a return on investment for learners the new standard for our state.
The Next 20 Years Starts Now
Turning twenty is certainly a milestone, but at Colorado Succeeds, we don’t mark time by years – we mark it by impact.
We filed this initiative because the status quo is no longer an option. Our state faces critical shortages in healthcare, construction, and the trades, while thousands of Coloradans sit on the sidelines of the economy.
Twenty years ago, we were a start-up with a big idea. Today, we are a coalition with a proven track record and a clear path forward. The Skilled Workers and Trades Fund is a clear culmination of our past and foundation for our future.
The vision is clear. The work is ready. Let’s invest in Coloradans.