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Northern Colorado K20 Pathways to Employment Report Unveiled

In a true regional collaboration, the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, and The Weld Trust, in partnership with Colorado Succeeds, proudly announce the public release of the Northern Colorado K20 Pathways to Employment report.

Drafted in response to current and anticipated workforce development challenges, the report outlines what programs and resources exist for learners in Northern Colorado and identifies potential opportunities to support them in achieving career and post-secondary success. The report recognizes proactive workforce development as critical to the long-term vitality of Northern Colorado.

The K20 Pathways to Employment report considers insights from stakeholder interviews with school districts, higher education institutions, Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development, Employment Services of Weld County, and key regional employers.

Notable takeaways include:

  • The Northern Colorado workforce ecosystem is poised to accelerate and scale more efficient and effective pathways to employment.
  • Stakeholders are engaged and motivated to continue strengthening partnerships to improve and expand career-based learning opportunities.
  • A regional approach is needed to ensure talent pipelines are responsive to labor market demands, programs are built with equity and access in mind, and resources are shared beyond school, district, higher education, and municipal boundaries.

The report states the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, and The Weld Trust are well-positioned to convene, activate, and guide key regional stakeholders across the talent continuum. Funding to support further investment in pathways to employment efforts will be explored across public and private sources as opportunities arise.

These three organizations will host a public meeting Friday, January 20 to discuss findings from the report in greater detail, discuss regional priorities, and provide an update on regional efforts to implement recommendations. The time and venue of this event are to-be-determined. More information will be released in the coming weeks.

To view the Northern Colorado K20 Pathways to Employment report, visit https://bit.ly/K20PathwaystoEmployment .


Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce media contact: Yvonne Myers, 970.482.3746, ymyers@fcchamber.org

Community Foundation media contact: Claire Bouchard, 970.488.1976, claire@nocofoundation.org

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Northern Colorado Public Colleges and Universities Economic Impact Study Released

The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is an advocate of higher education. On February 25, 2020, the Chamber hosted an event where a major study was released showcasing the return on investment for students and Colorado taxpayers. Members of the audience included Northern Colorado Prospers investors, area business leaders, Leadership Northern Colorado class members and alumni and Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance Board Members.

The economic impact study shows the four public colleges and universities in Northern Colorado (Aims Community College, Colorado State University, Front Range Community College and the University of Northern Colorado) added $3.9 billion in income to the economy of Larimer and Weld Counties and supported one of every eight jobs in the region in the fiscal year 2017-18.

Additional highlights and the impact:

  • NoCoPCU Total Annual Impact: $3.9 billion added income
  • 50,594 jobs supported
  • 1 out of every 8 jobs in Larimer and Weld counties is supported by the activities of the institutions and their students
  • For Every $1…
    • Students gain $3.20 in lifetime earnings
    • Taxpayers gain $4.00 in added tax revenue and public sector savings
    • Society gains $5.20 in added state revenue and social savings

“It’s been long known the colleges and universities are important to our region’s economy. These numbers make that very clear,” said David May, Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO. “Not only are these strong entities critical to the economic viability of our state and region, but they are also creating an emerging workforce, driving research and innovation and are integral to the economic foundations of our northern Colorado Area.”

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