workforce
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Colorado launches $2.5M in grants for youth apprenticeships
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Colorado is offering $2.5 million in grants to expand high school apprenticeship programs aimed at preparing youth to enter the workforce. Colorado has over 300 active apprenticeship programs with more than 6,000 participants, according to state estimates. But as of March, only 0.02% of the apprentices are under the age of 18. The grant-funded apprenticeships will provide…
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Colorado Community College System honors sponsors of free college program
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The Colorado Community College System honored four state legislators as “legislators of the year” for sponsoring a bill to create a free college program for high-demand careers. House Speaker Julie McCluskie, Rep. Rose Pugliese, Sen. Janet Buckner and Sen. Perry Will were recognized during the CCCS’s state board meeting on Wednesday. The annual award celebrates legislators…
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Regulatory burdens top concerns of Colorado business leaders: Poll
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The primary concern of business leaders in Colorado has shifted from a lack of workers to an excess of regulations, a new poll found. Of 156 business leaders from across the state, 48% identified regulations as their most important issue, according to the Colorado Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Business Leaders Survey released on Wednesday. Last…
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‘High school of the future’: State and national leaders want to reimagine secondary education
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What if in between math and English classes, high schoolers learned how to weld or code or perform first aid? That’s the vision state and national leaders shared Thursday during the Unlocking Pathways Summit at the Community College of Aurora. This latest in a national series of events saw educators, Colorado politicians and members of President…
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Pugliese’s bill for free education in high-demand careers passes | FOCUS ON THE SPRINGS
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Rep. Rose Pugliese’s effort to offer free education for students pursuing in-demand careers passed its last major legislative hurdle on Friday. If signed into law, House Bill 1246 would spend $38.6 million to provide free education to students pursuing credentials in firefighting, law enforcement, nursing, early childhood education, elementary education and forestry at community, district and technical colleges. The bill would…
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More teens working in Colorado, U.S. than before the start of COVID-19 pandemic
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School is out for summer and that means teens aren’t only looking forward to warmer weather and vacations, but also summer jobs. And they’ll have plenty of company. In 2021, 39.6% of teens ages 16 to 19 were participating in the nation’s workforce, while 32% of Colorado teens in that age group were part of…
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Labor supply is the ‘biggest challenge’ facing the space industry
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Space company executives, educators and industry leaders convened at the Space Symposium Thursday to discuss what Brent Sherwood, senior vice president of Blue Origin, said is the “biggest challenge” facing the space industry: lack of workers. Join Gazette reporters Wayne Heilman, Dennis Huspeni, and Jessica Snouwaert for a recap of Thuraday’s events at the Space…
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Colorado bill seeks to expand in-state tuition for students after one year of residency
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Colorado students must live in the state for at least three years to get in-state tuition for college. Now lawmakers want to offer cheaper tuition to students after only one year. If enacted, House Bill 1155 would make students eligible for in-state tuition at all higher education institutions if they have lived in the state…
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Advocacy group blames Colo. for rise in worker marijuana use
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WASHINGTON – A national anti-marijuana group is blaming Colorado as one of the states propelling a rise in marijuana use among the U.S. workforce. That follows a new medical laboratory report showing that usage of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana is rising in the national workforce. States that legalized marijuana showed the biggest increases in pot…
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Federal immigration stymies ag labor workforce with few solutions in sight
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Robert (RT) Sakata is part of a legendary farming family with a 1,600-acre farm near Brighton. Sakata Farms for 74 years has produced sweet corn, onions, cabbage, pinto beans, wheat, barley, field corn and other vegetables that find their way to kitchen tables all over Colorado. But part of that tradition is dying. On March…
