NEWS & UPDATES

Innovations and Next Steps with Transfer Systems

After a rigorous and transparent search process, our board has unanimously and enthusiastically selected Rana Tarkenton as our new Chief Executive Officer.

In 2024, we made meaningful progress in strengthening education-to-career systems across Colorado. In collaboration with our partners and investors, we’ve helped more learners and earners access opportunities, supported local workforce needs, and built stronger, more connected communities. We invite you to explore our 2024 Annual Report , where we share key milestones and the impact of our collective work. Read the Report Here Thank you for being part of this journey. We look forward to continuing our work together in 2025!

The latest updates on Colorado’s new longitudinal data system

CREATING COMMUNITY AND ADVANCING LEARNING

Thank you for partnering with us to empower learners and strengthen communities.

We’re excited to share our new policy papers highlighting opportunities to expand career pathways for all learners and meet critical workforce needs in communities throughout Colorado.

Join representatives from the Governor’s Office and community partners from the Better Data for Better Decisions coalition for a virtual meeting hosted by The Attainment Network on January 30 at 10 a.m. to hear the latest updates on the development of Colorado’s new statewide longitudinal data system. Be a part of the conversation as we seek to create shared understanding and collaboratively envision the potential of a secure, relevant, accurate, and user-centered system to empower informed decision-making and smart investments. With so much momentum and so much good work happening, make sure your voice is included as we envision how we will use data in our work to serve learners and earners and meet critical workforce needs across Colorado.  This virtual event is free and open to stakeholders of all professional expertise!

In partnership with Colorado Department of Education (CDE), The Attainment Network seeks Community Voice Evaluation Consultants to more fully develop a landscape review of Colorado career advising resources across sectors, and inform recommendations on unmet needs, best practices, and opportunities for efficiency and innovation in career advising to support learners and earners in pursuit of their goals. Deadline for submission is August 8th, 2024. For more information see the full RFP here .

The State of Data - August 2024

Several organizations are leveraging L/Earner Voice Grants to ensure the perspectives of learners and earners are incorporated into the development of critical policies and efforts to expand equitable opportunities for learners to acquire the credentials they need to succeed at high-value, in-demand jobs. Juntos and the Colorado Department of Higher Education are both planning to conduct surveys and focus groups with learners and earners, while Young Invincibles, Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative, and the Learning Economy Foundation are hosting meetings to discuss transformational policies with learners and earners. Juntos will survey and interview immigrants and refugees who are working to acquire the skills and education needed to enter licensed professions in Colorado. Insights from this research will help connect learners with information about career pathways and support advocacy efforts to expand access to licensed professions for immigrants and refugees. The Colorado Department of Higher Education is collecting data on the experiences of learners pursuing careers in education, especially those engaged in stackable credential pathways as outlined in the 2022 Opportunity for Credential Attainment legislation. CDHE will conduct focus groups and distribute a survey to gather valuable feedback from learners and earners. Young Invincibles has formed a Learner Voice Coalition, comprising current learners enrolled in higher education programs alongside advocacy organizations and higher education policy groups. The L/Earner Voice Grant will support the coalition’s inaugural retreat, providing a foundation to amplify learner voices in higher education and workforce policy. Participants will co-create the coalition’s vision, discuss best practices for work-based learning, engage employers in career-connected learning, and strategize on incorporating learner and earner voices into updated policies and proposed legislation. Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative , known as CEEMI, has already used its Learner Voice Grant to host a meeting with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper. This event focused on the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, highlighting the voices of learners, earners, and lessons from implementation across Colorado in this crucial policy discussion. Learning Economy Foundation will use its L/Earner Voice Grant to conduct a focus group with adult learners and earners to better understand their perspective on AI, digital wallets, Learning and Employment Records, and general principles of data ownership, agency, and self-advocacy. Feedback from the session will be used to inform a shared, learner-driven definition of success and the value of technology-assisted, career-connected education pathways. Join us in congratulating these organizations for including learner and earner perspectives in policy-making to create more inclusive and effective solutions.

Two innovative organizations have recently been awarded L/Earner Voice Grants from The Attainment Network to integrate learner perspectives into their career exploration and internship initiatives. Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins High School will use the grant funding to enhance career exploration opportunities, while the Denver Scholarship Foundation plans to use the funding to establish career coaching support for all scholars and enhance internship opportunities for men of color. The Denver Scholarship Foundation will use its $2,500 mini-grant to engage current scholars or recent alumni in roundtable discussions. These discussions will help incorporate learner voices into two initiatives – establishing career coaching for current scholars and enhancing a professional workplace shadowing and mentorship program for young men of color. Both initiatives aim to equip DSF scholars with the durable skills needed to succeed in internships, apprenticeships, and ultimately in high-value, high-wage careers. Colorado Early Colleges Fort Collins High School will invest in multimedia production and a peer mentoring program to increase awareness of career exploration opportunities among high school students. Students in media classes will conduct video interviews, collect written testimonials, and capture photographs of students who have benefited from career exploration. These materials will be shared on the website, highlighted in weekly student announcements, and used during student recruiting tours. Additionally, the mentoring program will connect current students who have participated in career exploration events with those who have yet to learn about or partake in these activities. Join us in celebrating these organizations and their efforts to amplify learner voices into initiatives that will help learners acquire the real-world skills and education that lead to jobs in high-need, in-demand, high value industries!

In Aurora, Colorado, home to the prestigious Anschutz Medical Campus, the burgeoning multicultural landscape reflects both opportunity and challenge. As the community thrives with a diverse and rapidly expanding population, it grapples with the urgent demand for skilled workers to support the thriving healthcare and construction industries. The Attainment Network and its collaboration with education, industry and non-profit partners are addressing this imperative head on. Together they are working to expand equitable opportunities for learners – high school students as well as current workforce members – to acquire the education and skills they need to meet the increasing needs of the healthcare and construction sectors. Drawing upon years of experience reshaping education-to-workforce pipelines, The Attainment Network arrived in 2022 to lend its expertise and connections at the state and national level to Aurora’s workforce development initiatives. By providing leadership, project management, professional development, capacity building, and financial resources, The Attainment Network serves as a catalyst for collaborative action. Moreover, it fosters cross-pollination of ideas and best practices, ensuring Aurora remains at the forefront of innovative workforce solutions. “We’ve seen such great value in their thought leadership,” said Jill Ruiter, executive director of the Aurora Public Schools Foundation. “They’re so connected with what’s happening nationally, with what’s happening around the state, with access to conferences, articles, programs, and conversations about how other districts are doing it. They’ve been really valuable in helping us navigate and learn from other folks.”

The Attainment Network Awards $2,500 Mini-Grants to Amplify Learner and Earner Voices