Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has issued a proclamation declaring September as Workforce Development Month.

Workforce Development Month began modestly in 2004 with just a handful of events.  The annual series has grown exponentially over the last 14 years, through good times and bad, and Workforce Development Month 2018 is bigger than ever, yet still focused on finding solutions to the critical issues facing our economy, solutions that will keep our workforce strong and growing.

As Governor Hickenlooper says in his proclamation, “the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the Workforce Development Council, and our statewide network of Workforce Centers are aligned with educators, businesses, and economic developers to enhance regional workforce development, expand apprenticeships, encourage more inclusive hiring, and promote the state’s competitive advantage.”

The annual event officially kicks off September 5 with Keep Colorado Working Day, a creative collaboration of state and county-run employment offices called Workforce Centers and the Department of Labor and Employment.  Their pooled resources and expertise will produce a wide array of workshops, open houses, employer seminars, conferences and hiring events (some traditional and others virtual).  On September 5, events will be staged online and at Colorado Workforce Centers across the state, from Burlington to Grand Junction.

Following the formal kickoff, daily events will be staged over the next four weeks, spotlighting the variety of services and resources available to the state’s 3.1 million men and women in the labor force and the 200,000 Colorado businesses that hire them.

In addition, each week in September will focus on industries that are expected to expand in the coming years, the occupations that comprise them and the pathways that can lead to success in those industries. A new microsite will be introduced each week showcasing important information about the industries for job seekers and students Among the occupations and businesses to be covered:

• September 3 - 7:       Leisure, Hospitality, and Tourism
• September 10 - 14:   Youth and Apprenticeships
• September 17 - 21:   Construction and Manufacturing
• September 24 - 28:   Healthcare and Technology  

Workforce Development Month will showcase how the Department of Labor and Employment and Workforce Centers across Colorado can help businesses and workers succeed.  A full calendar of events is available at the Department of Labor and Employment’s website, https://www.colorado.gov/cdle.