C.R.S. § 24-46.3-103: Growing industries and in-demand occupations talent pipeline working group - annual Colorado talent report - legislative declaration.

(1) (a) The general assembly finds and declares that:

(I) Colorado's economy is diverse and constantly changing, and its growing industries are dependent on an appropriately skilled workforce to continue to thrive;

(II) Colorado's growing industry employers continue to lack the skilled workers they need to stay and grow in the state;

(III) These continuously unfilled roles in growing industries constitute in-demand occupations in Colorado, and it is imperative to the state's communities and economy that there is a public understanding of how to:

(A) Determine which occupations are in demand; and

(B) Access training opportunities for job placement in in-demand occupations;

(IV) Coloradans miss opportunities for good jobs in growing industries because they do not have access to the right education, training, or adequate hands-on experience to secure employment in in-demand occupations;

(V) Maintaining a coordinated strategy across state agencies to promote access to industry-driven career pathways is critical to supporting the economic well-being of Coloradans and of Colorado's industries;

(VI) Ensuring that providers of education and training, workforce development experts, economic developers, the state, and local communities have a clear understanding of the labor market and the state's occupational needs is the most promising way to advance Coloradans and supply industry with the talent it demands;

(VII) Deep, authentic, and ongoing employer engagement and input are critical to ensure that education and training programs are designed to meet the real and current needs of industry; and

(VIII) Sector partnerships are a proven, established model of engaging employers and coordinating workforce development, economic development, and education strategies in response to the needs of industry and on behalf of individuals seeking good jobs.

(b) The general assembly further finds and declares that it is beneficial to create a working group with the state council, comprised of representatives from the relevant state departments and offices, to discuss and determine the most effective way to use sector partnerships at the regional level to align workforce development, economic development, and education with the needs of growing industries and in-demand occupations.

(2) The state council, the department of higher education, the department of education, the department of labor and employment, and the Colorado office of economic development shall work collaboratively to:

(a) Analyze Colorado's labor market conditions to identify growing industries and in-demand occupations and identify challenges to and opportunities for developing and growing relevant talent pipelines;

(b) Identify the in-demand and high-wage occupations in Colorado that are eligible for federal support, as defined in the federal "Higher Education Act of 1965", 20 U.S.C. sec. 1001 et seq., or a successor act;

(c) Ensure that the talent pipeline development infrastructure includes:

(I) A listening process to collect feedback on occupational demand from employers;

(II) Analysis of the state's current training capacity and ability to support workforce development for in-demand occupations;

(III) Analysis of the skills essential for in-demand occupations to assist training providers in maintaining the relevance of their programs; and

(IV) Academic career counseling;

(d) Utilize sector partnerships to:

(I) Advise the development of career pathway programs for in-demand occupations in growing industries;

(II) Ensure the coordination of education and workforce initiatives to develop a strong talent pipeline; and

(III) Provide resources to, participate in, and promote career exploration activities that are aligned with in-demand occupations, as appropriate; and

(e) Utilize existing measures and data systems to improve alignment and interagency communication.

(3) (a) In doing the work specified in subsection (2) of this section, the state council, in partnership with the department of higher education, the department of education, the department of labor and employment, and the Colorado office of economic development, shall produce an annual Colorado talent report. In preparing the annual Colorado talent report, the state council, the departments, and the office may use previously collected data and are not required to collect new data. The talent report must:

(I) Utilize state-level data generated from state-level sources whenever possible;

(II) Utilize and, as appropriate, expand existing data-sharing agreements between agencies and partners;

(III) Provide an analysis of data regarding the skills required for in-demand occupations; and

(IV) Include recommendations for advancing talent pipeline and career pathways development.

(b) The department of higher education, the department of education, the department of labor and employment, and the Colorado office of economic development may share their analysis on how data in the report impacts the state's strategic goals through their regular reporting mechanisms.

(c) In January of each year, the department of higher education, the department of education, the department of labor and employment, and the Colorado office of economic development shall summarize the Colorado talent report, their recommendations, and other comments in a presentation to the senate business, labor, and technology committee and the house of representatives business affairs and labor committee, or their successor committees, during the hearings held pursuant to the "SMART Act", part 2 of article 7 of title 2.