Colorado Talent Academy Launches: Empowering Employers to Lead on Workforce Development Solutions
This week, Colorado Succeeds launched the Colorado Talent Academy in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The Academy prepares participants to apply the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) framework, a nationally recognized methodology for building employer-led talent solutions.
Over the next six months, more than 35 leaders from across Colorado’s business, education, and workforce development sectors will engage in hands-on training to implement employer-led solutions to workforce pipelines in their regions and industries. Participants represent a wide range of geographies and industries — from rural communities to urban centers — and span key sectors including healthcare, construction, advanced manufacturing, and bioscience.
Colorado has a strong ecosystem of business and education leaders who are aligning education and training with real workforce needs. TPM will support this great work through an employer-led approach, connecting the dots across Colorado’s workforce system,” said Scott Laband, President of Colorado Succeeds. “We’re proud to partner with an impressive cohort of leaders and provide tools, technical assistance, and support to align these efforts and drive meaningful progress. Together, we’re helping more Coloradans access good jobs and more Colorado businesses set hiring targets for the talented workforce they need to thrive.
The Colorado Talent Academy is designed to guide industry associations, chambers of commerce, workforce centers, learning providers, and employer coalitions in developing and executing strategies to close workforce gaps and improve economic mobility through better talent alignment.
Academy participants will progress through TPM training led by national experts from the U.S. Chamber Foundation and participate in tailored coaching and peer learning opportunities curated by Colorado Succeeds. This includes leveraging data to understand occupational needs, organizing employers within a common industry or geography to tackle shared workforce issues, and working with talent providers and training organizations to establish data-driven talent pipelines.
The curriculum focuses on:
- Capacity-Building: Strengthening the ability of industry associations and business intermediaries to drive talent development.
- Peer-to-Peer Learning: Sharing best practices and lessons learned and co-creating innovative solutions to common workforce challenges.
- Coaching & Technical Assistance: Helping industry associations adapt and apply strategies that work for their unique contexts.
- Sustainable Impact: Exploring funding and investment strategies to support long-term success and setting hiring and talent development goals by occupation and sector.
“The Colorado Talent Academy gives local leaders the space, structure, and tools to move from concept to action,” said Ben Gerig, Director of Workforce Pathways at Colorado Succeeds. “This is about more than sharing best practices; it’s about helping communities across the state design and implement talent strategies that meet their unique needs. We’re excited to support this diverse group of leaders as they apply what they learn, collaborate across regions, and build momentum for lasting systems change.”
The Colorado Talent Academy builds on the national success of the TPM framework, empowering Colorado employers to play an active role in cultivating the skilled talent they need. It is one of several strategies Colorado Succeeds is advancing to build a talent ecosystem where education and employment systems are aligned, scalable, and sustainable for the future. Read more about our implementation work.
Colorado Talent Academy participating organizations
