SkillBuild Colorado is a public/private funding collaborative that leverages resources from member organizations to improve the system for meeting the workforce development needs of employers and workers in target industries. The focus is on enhancing the quality of jobs and the capacity of workers by making coordinated investments at the individual, organizational and system level. Strategic investments lead to better jobs, skilled workers, and a business focused workforce development system.

Workforce Partnerships

What is a workforce partnership?

A workforce partnership organizes multiple organizations in a specific industry including employers, trainers, experts, funders, educators, etcetera, around a common goal.  These stakeholders work together to design a training program with the dual focus of preparing jobseekers and incumbent workers for sustaining careers while assisting employers find and retain the skilled workers they require to successfully compete..

Workforce partnerships create long-term relationships between employers and service providers. They offer job training and career supports that meet the needs of both employees and employers in industry sectors that are central to the local economy.  Each workforce partnership is different.  Some are led by a local community college, others by an employer, some by organized labor, some by the local Workforce Investment Board, and others by community-based organizations.

There is great emphasis on generating innovative ideas and new approaches, providing intermediary assistance to services that help individuals navigate the realm of services, and creating systemic changes that ultimately improve current public systems for workforce development and/or business practices.

Denver Health School at Work Cohort 1

SkillBuild Colorado workforce partnerships are designed to the address the needs of lower-wage workers and jobseekers.

SkillBuild work with our funding partners and other stakeholder organizations to design and implement strategies to meet the specific workforce needs of industries (versus individual employers) that are important to the regional and state economy.

We make investments in strategies that build career pathways and offer opportunities for advancement to jobs that pay good wages for entry level and low income workers and allow them continue up career ladders.

We coordinate with local workforce programs to create an aligned community approach to preparing people for new careers and career advancement.

We collaborate with employers to design and fund employment and training programs that include a commitment to advancing existing workers and/or employ entry level job seekers.

As of June 2011, SkillBuild has partnered with 4 employers in the Health Care industry, 2 employers in the Energy industry and 10 employers in Construction/Skilled Trades industry to serve 291 job seekers and incumbent workers.