As Colorado employers continue to rank a lack of skilled talent as one of their biggest obstacles to growing in this state, House Speaker Julie McCluskie has introduced a bill to address this issue by putting all of the state’s workforce-development initiatives into one newly created department. And this week on “Colorado Chamber Office Hours,” I sit down with her and with an executive from one of the state’s leading talent-development advocacy organizations to discuss what this effort could mean for employers and for learners.
McCluskie, D-Dillon, explains why she feels that putting programs on subjects ranging from apprenticeships to local workforce boards under the same agency as higher education is key to allowing students and adult learners to better navigate their career pathway options. And she talks about how the creation of a one-stop agency with a single front door will let employers more easily learn about how they can partner with educators to get the proper training for workers and help to design curricula to ensure that graduates are coming into the labor force with the skills they need.
After that interview, Shannon Nicholas, senior vice president of impact at Colorado Succeeds, discusses why she believes we face such a mismatch in talent skills right now and what tangible benefits employers can see if House Bill 1317 passes and is implemented correctly. Members of a legislative committee advanced the bill without opposition at its first hearing recently, putting it into position for debate on the House floor as soon as the legislative chamber gets done hashing out the budget this week.
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