The Challenge
Half of Colorado jobs require more than a high school diploma, but less than a four year degree. But just 15 percent of Colorado workers fit this "middle skill" level. Colorado's economy has grown rapidly, without meaningfully cutting poverty. Over 300,000 Coloradans of working age, disproportionately Coloradans of color, are trapped in poverty, even as our economy brims with good-paying jobs in sectors starved for talent, including in IT, health care, and the skilled trades. These are huge disconnects. Despite a growing list of middle skill training programs with strong evidence of effectiveness, Governor Polis's flagship 2021 postsecondary task force found the public sector largely has yet to scale these approaches. Meanwhile, as shown in the bar chart, across the U.S., too many workforce training programs that are currently supported by public funding lead to low-wage jobs. We can and must do better.
The Opportunity
Colorado is deploying hundreds of millions of dollars in one-time federal funds for workforce development and postsecondary education. CEEMI works to push these funds towards evidence-based, effective approaches that help learners attain and hold good jobs with good wages, and then translate that change to the broader publicly funded postsecondary ecosystem. We are also working to unlock outcomes data on earnings so learners can see what works, and policymakers can better understand (and address) equity gaps.
How We Do
What We Do
Public Sector Engagement:
We advocate and organize, and we engage and educate policymakers.
Expand the Menu of Evidence-Based Programs:
We work to bring additional effective programs to Colorado and help local programs build evidence of impact.
Coalition Building:
We mobilize public, private & philanthropic partners to support these goals.
Technical Assistance and Capacity Building:
We support state and local governments, providers, nonprofits, evaluators, and other partners committed to this bold vision.