Impact

Stories of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder's workforce development impact—both locally and nationally—are growing by the day. Just a few inspirational examples are included below.Ìý

Ìý
Have a story to share, or want to get connected with other efforts on campus? ContactÌýÌýÌýworkforcedev@colorado.edu and we’ll find a way to collaborate.


Convening Colorado skill building ecosystem partners to grow key industries

¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder hosted a first-of-its-kind Colorado Semiconductor Workforce and Innovation ForumÌýin January 2024, inÌýpartnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).Ìý

Additionally, leaders from Colorado’s growing quantum ecosystem convened on campus in October 2023 to roll up their sleeves and begin mapping out a roadmap for quantum workforce development in the state.

Learn More about the Semiconductor Workforce and Innovation ForumÌýLearn More about the Quantum Workforce Development ConveningÌý

Convening Colorado skill building ecosystem partners to grow key industries

The CMU/¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder Engineering Partnership ProgramÌýoffers quality education at an affordable price, and the opportunity to earn an esteemed ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder engineering degree entirely on the campus of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, CO.

Students in the engineering partnership programs enjoy small class sizes, hands-on learning, and faculty who put teaching first. The curricula of the engineering partnership programs are modeled after the corresponding programs at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder.

Increasing rural community access to ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ’s engineering programs

¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder, Google launch free career certificate program for students and staff

The Google Career Certificates program at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder primarily targets juniors, seniors and recent graduates who are preparing to enter the workforce.ÌýThe program will also be offered to employees of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder’s Office of Infrastructure and Sustainability as part of theÌýpilot.Ìý

The program will help ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder learners gain in-demand technical skills and forward-looking credentials to help them succeed in the digital economy.Ìý

Learn MoreÌý

¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder, Google launch free career certificate program for students and staff

The Research Experience for Community College Students (RECCS) is a paid summer research experience program open to all Colorado (and CO's surrounding states) community college students. The goal of RECCS is to give community college students an authentic research experience at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder, ranked #1 in the world for geosciences.Ìý

Ten toÌýfourteen students receive a weekly stipend of $650 to conduct field- or lab-based independent research over a nine-week period in the summer, while working with a team of scientists. Students learn basic research, writing and communication skills, andÌýpresent their research at a local student science symposium.Ìý

Offering research experiences for community college students

Forging the path to define and develop emerging quantum skills Ìý

As an NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute, Q-SEnSE emphasizes education, training, and workforce development as part of its overall mission to advance quantum information science and technology in the U.S.Ìý

In 2022, the Q-SEnSE Research Exchange (QSRX)ÌýconnectedÌýFront Range students to industry partners eager for a skilled and diverse workforce, providing additional professional development and onboarding to ensure that students are well-prepared to succeed in their quantum internships and beyond.

Learn MoreÌý

Forging the path to define and develop emerging quantum skills

Driving skills-based learning

MySkills at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ is a self-paced program from Career Services that helps students:

  • Identify the skills they have now
  • Learn about the skills they'll need to develop
  • Find ways to build these skills through activities at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder
  • Learn how to highlight skills effectively at every stage of the job search

Learn MoreÌý

Driving skills-based learning

Increasing community college transfer pathways

The Denver-Metro Engineering Consortium (DMEC) project is a new consortium of local community colleges, four-year institutions, and industry partners that seeks to significantly increase the number of engineering professionals from underrepresented groups.

Both ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder and ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Denver, as well as the five Denver-metro community colleges, are participating in the project, which aims to address our nation’s STEM participation challenge through an intense focus on historically underrepresented groups—women, Hispanic, African American, and veteran students.Ìý

Learn MoreÌý

Increasing community college transfer pathways

The University of Colorado Boulder offers a variety of degrees, certificates, and specializations throughÌýCoursera,Ìýan online learning destination offering scaled online courses, specializationsÌýand degrees.

Learners can enroll in individual, non-credit courses or specializations (a series of courses designed to help you master a specific skill) to earn Course and Specialization Certificates. Complete courses at your own pace whether you are a ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder student, faculty or staff member, or not affiliated with ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ.

Offering flexible course and degree programs

Inspiring STEM in rural high school pathways

Youth residing in rural areas often have fewer opportunities to engage with STEM learning during in-school and out-of-school-time.ÌýThese goals can be challenging in rural settings due to difficulty recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers, lack of funding to develop educational resourcesÌýand limited access to rich STEM programs.

The STEM Career Connections (STEMCC) project has developed an innovative career readiness model for both in-school and out-of-school settings designed to increaseÌýknowledge of, and interest in, STEM and computing careers for middle school youth within rural communities.Ìý

Learn MoreÌý

Inspiring STEM in rural high school pathways

Supporting DACA and ASSET students

The Center for Inclusion and Social Change offers UndocuAlly trainings for ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder faculty, staff and graduate students with a teaching/administrative role who want to learn more about how to support Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) students.

UndocuAlly trainees gain a deeper understanding of the Undocumented student experience, including federal and state policies that affect DACA and ASSET students.

Learn MoreÌý

Supporting DACA and ASSET students

Providing learners with childcare support services

¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder’s Children’s Center provides learners with child care support and prioritizes children of ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The center's experienced staff is committed to serving each individual child to meet them where they are at in their learning and development. Each class has a low child-to-teacher ratio as well, giving your child the personal attention they need.Ìý

Learn MoreÌý

Providing learners with childcare support services