April Lookahead

March 31, 2026

APRIL IS FULL OF OPPORTUNITY AND We're LEANING IN

April is full of opportunities. From executive-level conversations on employer engagement to career-connected learning in the San Luis Valley, The Attainment Network team continues to lead, learn, and collaborate in spaces shaping the future of education-to-workforce systems.


Here’s where you can find us this April:


🗓️ March 31 – April 2
🔹 Axim Collaborative: Employer Engagement CoLab – Cambridge, MA
Rana and partners from MSU Denver, CCD, and Colorado Thrives will join senior leaders from higher education, workforce, and technology sectors across the country for this working session focused on building talent pipelines that work, with specific goals of shortening time-to-hire and improving early-career performance.


 🗓️ April 1
🔹 Illuminate the Possibilities: SLV CTE & ICAP Summit – Alamosa
Ashley and Wes will join educators from across the San Luis Valley for this full-day learning event focused on strengthening student pathways and career readiness, including an opportunity to participate in CTE specialists' credentials training exploring the potential of ICAP. 


🗓️ April 3
🔹 CACEP Conference – Colorado Springs
Michelle and Emily will join K-12,higher education leaders, advocates from across the state to explore best practices, emerging opportunities, and challenges in expanding access to concurrent enrollment.

🔹 Northern Colorado Intersections Report Community Check-In – Windsor
Libby is participating in this community event, hosted by the NoCo Foundation, convening partners to reflect on regional progress and shared goals for improving well-being across Northern Colorado.


🗓️ April 7
🔹 CoData Feedback Session – Denver
In partnership with the Better Data for Better Decisions coalition, Stefan will lead a small stakeholder session with Colorado Succeeds to share updates and gather feedback on Colorado’s Statewide Longitudinal Data System.


🗓️ April 7–9
🔹 CDLE Career Summit – Denver
Ashley will join workforce leaders from across Colorado for this annual summit focused on aligning strategy, services, and outcomes across the workforce system.


🗓️ April 13–15
🔹 ASU + GSV Summit – San Diego, CA
Rana will attend this global convening of leaders focused on innovation in education and workforce systems, exploring how to expand access to opportunity across the learning lifecycle.


🗓️ April 13
🔹 Space Symposium International Teacher Liaison Workshop – Colorado Springs
Emily will join educators from around the world to explore new approaches to STEM and space science and how to inspire learners toward careers in the space industry.


🗓️ April 20
🔹 Think BIGGER: Building the Talent that Builds Denver | A Joint Initiative of the City and School District to Expand Youth Workforce Opportunities – Denver
The Attainment Network team will support this event bringing together local, state, and national leaders to strengthen Denver’s youth workforce ecosystem and expand access to meaningful career development opportunities.


🗓️ April 22
🔹 Community College of Aurora CAST Building Tour – Aurora
Libby, Michelle, and Rana will join partners for a tour of the new Center for Applied Science and Technology, exploring innovative learning environments and workforce-aligned programming.


🗓️ April 27
🔹 Professional Learning Series: Commission on Purposeful Pathways – Virtual
The Attainment Network team is hosting a virtual professional learning session focused on advancing career navigation and purpose-driven pathways across education and workforce systems. Register for the free webinar here. 


🗓️ April 29
🔹 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo – Alamosa
Ashley and Wes will support this hands-on event providing learners with hands-on opportunities to explore careers in healthcare. Learners will engage directly with professionals, explore the mobile healthcare lab, and showcase their entrepreneurial projects through a Shark Tank-style presentation experience.


🗓️ April 30
🔹 Partners in Construction Debut Meeting – San Luis Valley
Wes will join partners for the kickoff of this new collaborative effort focused on strengthening construction career pathways in the San Luis Valley.


RECENT ARTICLES

Building Strong Pathways Starts with Career Advising

By Rana Tarkenton • March 11, 2026
I recently had the opportunity to meet Aimar Amezcua-Sandoval, a workforce development specialist at Denver Health, during a panel discussion at Metropolitan State University Denver titled Healthcare Careers You Didn’t Know Existed. During our conversation before the event, I learned something unexpected: Years earlier when I worked at the Denver Scholarship Foundation, I had hired the college and career advisor who helped launch Aimar’s journey. It was a powerful reminder that the systems we talk about improving are ultimately built and shaped by people. The ripple effects of a highly qualified, well-prepared advisor can extend far beyond a single decision or moment in time. We often talk about education and career pathways as if they are obvious routes that learners intuitively step onto and follow. In reality, many learners experience something very different. They face big decisions without clear information about their options or what steps to take next. That’s where career advising makes such a difference. Advisors help people distill their interests, understand what’s possible, and navigate decisions with more confidence. I wanted to hear more about Aimar’s career journey, so I reached out to learn more about her path from from high school student to nurse to workforce development specialist at Denver Health. The following edited excerpt from our conversation illustrates how powerful high quality career guidance can be.

Colorado Longitudinal Data System Takes Shape

March 4, 2026
Colorado’s upcoming Statewide Longitudinal Data System now has a catchy new name — COdata , short for Colorado Data Connections — marking its evolution from a policy vision into an accessible, user-friendly tool designed to help learners and their families, as well as educators and policymakers, make informed decisions about education and career pathways. At The Attainment Network’s February State of the Data webinar, Dr. Heather MacGillivary from the Governor’s Office of Information Technology shared meaningful progress and new opportunities for stakeholder engagement as COdata moves toward the launch of its first public reports this September. Key Updates Draft Research Framework The state has developed a draft 2–3 year research framework to guide how COdata will be used and expanded. The framework: Establishes shared definitions to reduce confusion across agencies and sectors Identifies priority questions about education-to-workforce pathways Emphasizes analysis of access and outcomes for diverse groups of Coloradans Stakeholder feedback on the Research Framework is being collected through May, with finalization expected in June. Contact heather.macgillivary@state.co.us to provide feedback. Public Data Dashboard Development The public-facing COdata dashboard is actively being built and tested. The team has: Conducted focus groups with state agency data partners to refine the interface Linked the majority of participating program data sources OIT is seeking feedback on the dashboard from learners, families and policymakers. Contact Stefan@attainmentnetwork.org if you know learners and families who would like to participate. You can review the full presentation and discussion here: 👉 Slides 👉 Recording Passcode: z5Sz!6&C In addition to system updates, CEEMI’s Roger Low reminded participants that evidence-building is not a box-checking exercise — it is about improving people’s lives. With limited public resources and complex challenges, research and evaluation help determine which strategies truly move the needle. Clear distinctions between outputs, outcomes, and impacts are essential to scaling what works. Ways to Stay Engaged 📊 Join the Better Data for Better Decisions Coalition Participate in monthly working sessions to provide stakeholder feedback and help align COData insights with major state priorities and policy decisions. Contact Stefan@attainmentnetwork.org for more information about the coalition. 🎤 Attend the Career-Connected L/Earning Conference, Oct. 29–30 in Colorado Springs Learn more about how data, evidence, and cross-sector collaboration shape Colorado’s education-to-workforce system. Learn More.

On the Move in March

March 4, 2026
March is all about leadership in action. The Attainment Network team is stepping into spaces where strategy, influence, and collaboration converge. We’re excited to elevate rural voices, strengthen employer engagement, and participate in conversations shaping education-to-workforce systems across Colorado and beyond.  Here’s where you can find us this March: 🗓️ March 3–5 🔹 Accelerate ED Community Convening — Columbus, OH Michelle Camacho Liu and Rana will join education-to-workforce leaders from multiple states to explore strategies for scaling high-quality pathways, building sustainable infrastructure, and strengthening connections that expand opportunity and build economic mobility for learners. 🗓️ March 5 🔹 NOCO Talent Summit — Northern Colorado Libby will join other NOCO leaders at this summit centered on strengthening partnerships between business, education, and government, with conversations on human skills in AI and connecting education to careers. 🗓️ March 11 🔹 San Luis Valley Career Fair — San Luis Valley Ashley and Wes will support this regional event connecting high school students with local employers, training programs, and career pathways. This fair will feature careers in agriculture. 🔹 Scrivner Policy Roundtable: Rural Renaissance and Colorado’s Policy Future — Denver Michelle Payne will join this conversation highlighting insights from Colorado Project 2.0’s Rural Renaissance initiative, elevating the voices and experiences of rural communities to continue building a roadmap for inclusive and sustainable growth. 🗓️ March 11–12 🔹 SLV Partnership Leadership Meetings – San Luis Valley Rana will meet with regional partners to discuss healthcare pathways progress and explore new opportunities for growth. 🗓️ March 18 🔹 Bo e ttcher Foundation Convening: State of Leadership — Denver Rana will join statewide leaders to reflect what’s working, what’s challenging, and what it takes to accelerate progress. 🗓️ March 19 🔹 Better Data for Better Decisions Coalition Meeting – Virtual Stefan will join this open, virtual meeting focused on priority data initiatives, including updates on Colorado’s State Longitudinal Data System. 🗓️ March 31 – April 2 🔹 Axim Collaborative: Employer Engagement CoLab – Cambridge, MA Rana and partners from MSU Denver and CCD will attend this executive-level working session focused on strengthening employer engagement and shortening time-to-hire through more aligned and effective talent pipelines. We hope to see you at one of these events — or hear from you if you’re working on similar efforts. March is shaping up to be a month of meaningful dialogue and forward motion.