Goal: Fortify Colorado’s workforce to support a future-ready, regenerative, circular economy.
Strategy 1: Expand digital equity, access, and preparedness.
What this looks like: Address regional digital inequities through targeted efforts and by prioritizing the most pressing needs: access to high-speed internet; access to and affordability of web-enabled technology; and access to skill development.
Strategy 2: Advance equitable hiring and modern benefits.
What this looks like: Advance equitable hiring practices through skills-based practices, increased access to training, and the removal of barriers such as drivers’ licenses, lifting requirements, prescriptive experience, and extensive job histories. Promote modernizations of employment benefits and worker protections.
Strategy 3: Develop rural economic diversification roadmaps and strategies.
What this looks like: Identify viable economic diversification opportunities in rural Colorado and create community roadmaps and strategies to develop opportunities. Utilize rural hubs as a model to implement diversification strategies.
Strategy 4: Support communities and industries in economic transition.
What this looks like: Prepare for industry and workforce transition due to market shifts, globalization, climate change, and digital transformation through diversification of economies and workforce development planning. Attract the workforce of the future by developing strategic mentorship, education, and training opportunities.
Strategy 5: Promote resiliency jobs and workforce development.
What this looks like: Promote workforce training and development programs that help businesses become more resilient to climate change and disaster. Focus on programs that develop career pathways, build partnerships across sectors and with educational institutions, and grow a statewide resiliency job corps program.