2025 L/Earner VOICE SYMPOSIUM
Navigating the Future: L/Earner Perspectives on Meaningful Career Advising
Join us on October 2 from 9am to 11am for the 2025 L/Earner Voice Symposium, a virtual convening for educators, practitioners, and policymakers to ensure career advising systems from high school, to postsecondary, workforce, and beyond empower learners and earners to navigate their futures with intention and purpose.
With new state legislation setting a goal for all high school students to complete a credential, postsecondary coursework, or work-based learning – the time is now to ensure our career advising systems and practices are aligned, accessible, relevant, and grounded in the voices of those navigating their careers. This convening will elevate learner and earner perspectives and spotlight promising practices that support career advising as a lifelong process of meaning making, exploration and growth.
COLLABORATOR
SUPPORTER
CONNECTOR
Keynote
Scaling Support, Centering Students: The IRIS Model of Career Navigation
Colorado Mesa University has reimagined advising through the IRIS (Integrated Resources for Information and Solutions) Advising Center. By nearly doubling the size of the advising team, embedding advisors across schools and campuses, and investing in training guided by the Appreciative Advising model, CMU is ensuring that every student has personalized guidance tied directly to their career goals. Dr. Roberto Montoya will share how this scalable model blends academic and career advising, strengthens belonging, and prepares students to succeed in college and in life.
Dr. Robert Montoya
Vice President for Student Services
Colorado Mesa University
Dr. Roberto Montoya was forged in the barrios of Albuquerque, NM. He is a scholar, educator, and advocate committed to closing educational equity gaps. With a diverse background across academia, public, non-profit, and private sectors, he champions justice and community empowerment. Dr. Montoya’s extensive expertise includes diversity recruitment, teaching, and leadership in equity initiatives at numerous institutions. As Colorado’s pioneering Chief Educational Equity Officer, he led transformative efforts, establishing the Office of Educational Equity and co-founding the Colorado Hispanic Serving Institution Consortium. Currently, Dr. Montoya serves as Senior Vice President for Student Services at Colorado Mesa University, where he leads initiatives grounded in the Human Scale University ethos to advance belonging, retention, and student success. Holding a Ph.D. in Critical Studies, he continues to advocate for systemic change in higher education.
Round 1 Breakout Sessions
Grow Teachers, Grow Careers: Rethinking Your Pipeline with Apprenticeship Programs
How do we recruit and retain the next generation of teachers, especially in high-need areas? In this session, we will explore Colorado's Teacher Degree Apprenticeship program and how districts support both teacher apprentices and their mentors throughout their careers. Attendees will hear from a K–12 leader and apprentice as well as CareerWise as the sponsor who collaborated with Colorado legislation to build a registered apprenticeship offering paid, on-the-job training, a debt-free path to a degree, and opportunities for career advancement. The session will also highlight how the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Pathway will receive feedback from participants and stakeholders to shape the program’s design and implementation, ensuring it remains responsive to the needs of schools, educators, and communities.
Additional Resources on Teacher Apprenticeships:
- Opportunity Now Paving the Way for Paid Teacher Degree Apprenticeships
- How the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program is Helping Districts Build a Stronger Workforce
- Teacher Degree Apprenticeship in Colorado: Early Lessons
- Teacher Degree Apprenticeship
- Colorado Sun - Teacher apprenticeships are taking off in Colorado. Could they help schools chip away at the educator shortage?
Brewing Careers: Connecting Education, Work-Based Learning, and Career Navigation with MSU Denver Student Leaders
This interactive session spotlights the collaboration between MSU Denver’s Brewery Program, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the C2Hub Industry Partnership Team to illustrate how to turn classroom learning into meaningful career pathways. Two to three brewery program students on a virtual panel will share how hands-on training with the Denver Botanic Gardens deepened their industry skills. Participants will explore strategies through first-hand learner insights to identify ways to connect education, work-based learning, and industry engagement so that students can make informed next steps toward their future. The value of mentorship through MSU Denver’s ICAP-Industry Career Advising Program as a way to clarify career goals and expand professional networks will also be shared by the Assistant Director of IPT-Classroom to Career Hub.
Careers in Construction Colorado: An Employer Driven, Learner Supported Model for Career Connected Learning
The Purpose of Careers in Construction Colorado is to Educate, Empower, and Employ high school students and graduates within a pathway that’s relevant to each of them. Our approach is based on the development of relationships with both the learners and employers to help each navigate workforce demands. In this session you will learn more about the Careers in Construction Colorado model, including how CICC utilizes an in-school navigator to support career exploration, connection and navigation. Participants will also hear directly from the learners and earners who have participated about their experiences and the impact this kind of support can have.
Data Discussions: From Dashboards to Decisions
Join ActivateWork for an interactive dashboard demonstration and discussion. This tool, made possible by participation in the Colorado Wage Outcomes Coalition (CO WORC), has allowed ActivateWork to gain new insights to share with their l/earners, specifically around earnings trajectories and industry placement. Learn how ActivateWork is using this data to help inform program improvement, l/earner outreach and advising, and employer partnerships, and engage in meaningful conversation around how to continue to make this data actionable.
Round 2 Breakout Sessions
Learner Voice in Action: Connecting Student Voice to System Change
Student voices illuminate progress on the Big 3, reveal where systems need to adapt, and drive meaningful change when connected to action. In this session, participants will hear from CEI partners in the field on how they use student voice to shape decision making and enhance their pathway programs, then engage in reflection on how to apply these insights.
The Five Principles of Economic Mobility: Learner Insights in Shaping Career Navigation
For many, economic mobility is a result of wage outcomes and career growth. At Ednium, our Alumni define economic mobility as having the agency to live a thriving life in the community they want to call home. In this session we will explore the five elements of how we define agency - financial security, physical and mental wellbeing, quality relationships, sense of purpose, and authentic sense of self - and how these elements have framed a new way that individuals and systems should think about how to support learners in their career navigation and advising needs.
Upskilling in Action: Strengthening Pathways for Learners and Employers
This breakout will spotlight how San Luis Valley partners are addressing employer needs through upskilling strategies that strengthen both workforce capacity and learner success. Employers and l/earners will share lessons learned, project strengths, and firsthand perspectives on what’s working and what challenges remain in building sustainable career pathways. Participants will leave with insights into collaborative approaches that can be adapted and scaled in other regions.