Colorado Works Subsidized Training and Employment Program Given National Recognition

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON – This week at the National Association of State Workforce Agencies’ (NASWA) 2020 Winter Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment received the prestigious Pinnacle for Workforce Development Award, presented by NASWA’s Employment and Training Committee. This award is bestowed upon a state demonstrating excellence and innovation in the area of workforce development.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment partnered with the Colorado Department of Human Services to develop the Colorado Works Subsidized Training and Employment Program (CW STEP). The program drives partnerships between local workforce centers, human service departments, and community organizations with the goal of giving low-income job seekers, with barriers to success, pathways to sustaining employment. CW STEP places resilient individuals in paid internships, apprenticeships, transitional jobs and on-the-job training experiences.

"The Colorado Works Subsidized Training and Employment Program is breaking new ground by showing how state agencies can collaborate to better serve job seekers," said Scott B. Sanders. "This is a terrific example of an innovation that successfully braids funding and resources and offers many supportive services to help individuals gain and maintain employment with living wages."

At CDLE, our vision is to create an economy that elevates all Coloradans," said Joe Barela, Executive Director of the agency. "By working with others in the communities we serve, we aim to provide services that address our clients' needs holistically, to ensure that they can find rewarding, long-term employment. We are honored to receive the Pinnacle for Workforce Development Award."

For more information about NASWA’s Winter Policy Forum, visit https://www.naswa.org/conferences/2020-winter-policy-forum, and for more information about NASWA’s Employment and Training Committee, visit https://www.naswa.org/about-policy-committees.