The panel included Brad Rupert (Jefferson County Schools), Kelly Caulfeld (Colorado Succeeds), Colleen Davis (PIIAC), Marna Messner (Jefferson County Schools) and Austin Beazley (senior, Arvada High School). Kami Welch, Arvada Chamber of Commerce President, moderated the panel and began the discussion with an interactive demonstration of the post-secondary workforce gap in our community. Every year, 6,743 9th graders will start school in Jefferson County and only 1,368 of those students will complete college. Closing the skills gap will require engagement from employers, educators and partners across Arvada. “This is not a Chamber initiative; this is a community initiative,” Kami emphasized.
Immediate barriers in our workforce gap are the systems, conversations, and stigmas that support college as the lone post-secondary pathway. “My education was very focused on what college to go to,” said Austin. Marna confirmed that the schools do a great job preparing students for college, but “we don’t do great to prepare students for after college or no college.” She then asked, “What does it look like to think careers first?”
“It’s not about college or career," said Kelly. "This is how we lose people. It’s about supporting students along postsecondary and career pathways where students receive work-based learning experiences that lead to postsecondary academic credit.”
Read the full recap of this discussion, including key takeways from the panel, on our blog.