Apprenticeship Program Designed to Shape Workforce Through Innovative Business-Led Youth Apprenticeships.
Today, Vail Valley Partnership (VVP) and CareerWise Colorado announced the launch of CareerWise, an apprenticeship initiative designed to positively address our community workforce needs.
Colorado’s economy is growing, and our education system is not keeping pace. The reality is that students in Colorado are graduating with a skill gap that is negatively affecting businesses. This means we must rethink education, employing innovative and collaborative solutions. Using the Swiss Apprenticeship System as a model for inspiration, CareerWise is determined to unite businesses and educators to provide a business-led, student-centered program that addresses real-world needs.
“Along with CareerWise, our local team including Eagle County Schools Colorado Mountain College, YouthPower 365, Vail Valley Partnership, and numerous business leaders are prepared to guide businesses, work with educators, support students, and oversee the entire process to ensure success,” said Erik Williams, director of community development at Vail Valley Partnership. “This model and program will help local employers grow new talent for the long-term and at the same time assist students in identifying career pathways and finding rewarding employment here in the valley.”
The business case for apprenticeships
Hosting apprenticeships and becoming a training business isn’t about charity, it’s about investing in your future. Companies regularly identify the problem of recruiting skilled job candidates as a major challenge, but Colorado’s youth still stands massively underemployed. This is a threat to our state’s long-term growth. Programs similar to CareerWise apprenticeships result in less turnover and fewer wasted training dollars.
CareerWise benefits
70 percent of Colorado adults are not from the Centennial State. They are highly educated transplants that have come to fill a desperate need for talent among Colorado companies. At the same time, local youth faces high unemployment rates. Countries with similar programs to CareerWise have the lowest youth unemployment rates in the world. With the help of educators and businesses, we can solve Colorado’s workforce issues.
Businesses become centers of learning
Innovation is at home in Colorado. Our state is growing rapidly and is poised to have a great impact on the nation’s economic future. CareerWise is aligning with businesses in the IT, finance, business operations, and advanced manufacturing sectors in order to provide students with robust apprenticeships. Partnering businesses will help students connect theory with practice.
Multiple paths to success
The same pathway through high school and beyond will not work for every student. College may not be the best solution for every student, but an apprenticeship can be. All students can benefit from learning workplace skills as they gain a practical education. An apprenticeship does not close doors – it opens them. When a student successfully completes a CareerWise apprenticeship, they’ll have a variety of options, including continuing to a 4-year school, entering the workforce, or seeking specialized training.
“We are so pleased to partner with CareerWise and the Vail Valley Partnership to bring these much needed career exploration opportunities to the youth in our community,” said Philip Qualman, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services with Eagle County Schools. “The school district has been developing a comprehensive career and college pathways program as part of our strategic plan and this initiative will expand opportunities for students to gain work experience and marketable skills in their chosen career field before they graduate from high school.”
“Eagle County is our first community expansion, an important step to proving the statewide youth-apprenticeship system is sustainable over diverse geographies and industries,” said Ashley Carter, CareerWise Colorado’s chief strategy officer. “When we create viable pathways to in-demand, meaningful jobs for our youth and a financial model that makes sense for businesses, the community—and the entire state—benefits.”
To learn more about the CareerWise program launch in Eagle County, contact Erik Williams at 970.477.4000 or via email at erik@visitvailvalley.com.