Centering Career Navigation with Learner and Earner Voices
October 28, 2025
Highlights from the 2025 Learner Voice Symposium
Our 2025 L/Earner Voice Symposium brought together educators, employers, policymakers, and – most importantly – learners and earners to explore how Colorado can build career navigation systems that reflect learners’ real experiences, aspirations, and needs.
A clear theme emerged throughout the morning: Career advising works best when it’s shaped by learner and earner voices and backed by strong, coordinated systems that help learners thrive.
View our video highlights of the Symposium:
Keynote Highlight: Leaning In
Dr. Roberto Montoya, Senior Vice President at Colorado Mesa University, spoke with warmth and humility as he shared how CMU is “leaning in” at a moment when many institutions are cutting back – doubling the size of its advising team and embedding advisors across campuses to support the whole student.
“Our advisors don’t just process forms; they build trust, look students in the eye, and say, ‘You belong here,’” said Dr. Montoya.
From Apprenticeships to Data Tools
Presenters in our seven breakout sessions emphasized that strong advising and mentoring relationships help learners stay motivated, navigate complexity, and see themselves in high-value careers.
- CareerWise shared how the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship program is supporting future teachers in rural Colorado as they blend work and learning.
- ActivateWork demonstrated how data tools can help learners make informed, timely decisions by showing clear wage and employment trajectories.
- Ednium explored how their five principles of agency can frame a new way of supporting learners,
- CEI partners in the field shared on how they use student voice to shape decision making and enhance their pathway programs;
- MSU Denver’s Brewery Science Program, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the C2Hub Industry Partnership Team showed how hands-on training deepens learners’ industry skills.
- Careers in Construction Colorado shared their approach to developing strong relationships with both learners and employers to help each effectively navigate workforce challenges.
- The San Luis Valley Career-Connected Partnership shared upskilling strategies that are building a homegrown pipeline of healthcare professionals.
📑 Access all session slides and resources here »
Now is the Time to Focus on Career Advising
With recent legislation requiring all high school students to complete a credential, postsecondary coursework, or work-based learning – the L/Earner Voice Symposium came at the perfect time to ensure our career advising systems and practices are aligned, accessible, relevant, and grounded in the voices of those navigating their careers.
Many thanks to our sponsors, CareerWise, Better Data for Better Decisions, and CHFA. Their generous support enabled this event to be provided at no cost to all educators, employers and policymakers committed to strengthening career-connected learning across Colorado.
RECENT ARTICLES
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’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.
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.