Colorado Thrives is excited to announce a significant milestone in our mission with the launch of Upskill 2030, a bold initiative aimed at upskilling and placing 30,000 Coloradans into good jobs by 2030.
This goal represents a critical reality in our state: while talent is everywhere – from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope – opportunity isn’t. In Colorado, 1 in 4 households lives below self-sufficiency, even though 9 in 10 Coloradans in those households work full-time jobs.
The initiative was unveiled at a special event on September 19, 2024, featuring remarks from Colorado Thrives co-chair Steven A. Cohen and Governor Jared Polis, who expressed his enthusiasm for this effort.
“We can and we will distinguish Colorado as building the strongest, most robust, most resilient workforce in the entire nation to power our economy for today and tomorrow,” Governor Polis said.
As a coalition of CEOs and business leaders from Colorado’s leading employers, Colorado Thrives is implementing an employer-powered approach through three key strategies:
- Organize a Demand Signal: Our employers prioritize and communicate where jobs exist and the skills needed for success, while reducing unnecessary degree and experience requirements
- Develop and Scale Partnerships: We cultivate high-quality education and training providers to connect local talent to employer demand, reinforcing these connections with supporting interventions and hiring practices
- Measure and Scale Impact: We’re committed to measuring and sharing our progress, inviting other employers to join and scale strategies that work to ensure statewide impact
Our work spans multiple industries and job categories. Colorado Thrives believes that business isn’t usual anymore – and neither is our approach. By uniting Colorado’s leading employers across industries and job functions, we’re better aligning talent demand with supply from the state’s education and training system to help hard working Coloradans thrive through jobs that work for them.
See coverage of the event here.
