Regional Talent Summit in Durango Sparks Collaboration
May 21, 2025
The Attainment Network was honored to serve as one of the hosts for last week’s Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summit held in Durango, alongside the La Plata Economic Development Alliance and Fort Lewis College.
The Summit brought together employers, educators, and community organizations from across Southwest Colorado and the San Luis Valley to discuss talent shortages – especially in healthcare, technology, and agriculture – and align around plans to build qualified local talent pipelines.
As this recent article highlights, these conversations were part of a statewide series convened by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade through the Opportunity Now program. The summits are designed to foster collaboration needed to build education-to-workforce systems that provide inclusive opportunities for learners and earners while meeting critical local workforce needs – which is exactly what The Attainment Network excels at. In fact, our partnership in the San Luis Valley is making incredible progress toward our goals:
- We are 76% of the way toward our goal to train 70 new Certified Nurse Assistants
- We’re 50% complete with our goal to train 60 new Medical Assistants.
- We aim to place 78 learners in paid healthcare internships, and we’re 31% of the way there.
- We are also committed to supporting 50 current healthcare employs as they acquire additional education to advance in their careers, and we’re 30% of the way toward this upskilling goal.
👏 A big thank you to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Innovate Work Consulting, and our fellow hosts at La Plata Economic Development Alliance and Fort Lewis College for helping to lead this effort.
Read more about the Summit here.
RECENT ARTICLES
More than 100 stakeholders from across Colorado joined The Attainment Network on August 27 for our State of the Data meeting. The meeting was the third session in our series highlighting the progress being made to build Colorado’s Statewide Longitudinal Data System – a dynamic, agile, and usable resource designed to help learners, families, educators, program managers, and policymakers make informed decisions about education and training. We are especially grateful to our colleagues at the Office of Information Technology – Dr. Heather MacGillivary, manager of the SLDS, and Brandi Wildfang, chief communications officer – for sharing updates on both the development of the system and the communications strategy to promote awareness and use. We also appreciate the participation of CEI and Colorado Succeeds, our partners in the Better Data for Better Decisions Coalition. Key Milestones Completed Legal framework established to ensure privacy, security, and appropriate use—while allowing the system to evolve with new data elements and use cases. Technical vendor selected after a rigorous process. Key staff leadership hired, and additional positions posted for a data engineer and data analyst . Phase I use cases , co-constructed with the advisory group, formally approved.
Education-to-career pathways in Denver are stronger and more accessible thanks to a five-year collaboration across education, industry, and policy sectors fueled by the New Skills ready network, an initiative launched by JPMorgan Chase & Co. in 2020. Rooted in a shared belief that every learner should have opportunities to acquire the skills and real-world experiences needed to thrive in a high-value, in-demand career, the results of our partnership speak for themselves: 52% increase in participation in industry-aligned career pathways 5x increase in completion of industry-recognized credentials 15% increase in participation in industry-aligned work-based learning experiences At the heart of this progress was our partners’ shared commitment to collaboration, with The Attainment Network serving as a neutral intermediary to support our K–12 , higher education, and workforce partners’ strategic alignment on shared goals. Acting as a bridge between priorities, we helped translate across sectors, navigate competing demands, and sustain the focus needed to drive meaningful change. Our work didn't happen in isolation. Throughout this journey we have been grateful for the opportunity to explore innovative ideas, share breakthrough strategies, and troubleshoot challenges between all our partners and with our New Skills ready network peers in five other cities. We are proud to have helped shepherd this work – and grateful to our partners who are dedicated to ensuring every learner can build a career that supports their family and leads to lasting economic mobility and success. Our momentum is strong and our work continues. We look forward to working with our partners to continue building opportunities for learners to access pathways to meaningful, high-value careers. Read more about Denver’s progress
We’re feeling the August energy – and it’s not just from the sunshine and farmers market bounty. As we get ready for the start of a new school year, we’re excited about the growing momentum across our beautiful state to reimagine education-to-workforce systems that truly work for learners and earners. This month, The Attainment Network team is heading into forums, learning tours, and convenings that focus on community collaboration, leadership, and future-facing innovation. We’re excited to listen, learn, and celebrate the incredible work happening across the state. Here’s where you can find us this month: 🗓️ Thursday, August 8 🔹 Community Impact Forum: State of Education – Arvada Michelle is joining this annual conversation hosted by the Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce, where leaders will explore topics shaping the future of K–12 and postsecondary education in Jeffco – including school start time equity, mental health, career pathways, and business partnerships. 🗓️ Tuesday, August 12 🔹 HA.HA. (High Action. High Alignment.) Sisterhood Gathering – Denver Rana is honored to join this bold panel of women leaders committed to solving complex challenges through collective action, shared leadership, and true alignment. This evening will spotlight what’s possible when Colorado’s women leaders lead together – not in parallel. 🗓️ Tuesday, August 12 🔹 Quantum Workforce Collaborative meeting – Online Rana and Michelle will join Elevate Quantum, NVIDIA, Spark Photonics, and the Colorado Governor’s Office for updates on quantum education initiatives. 🗓️ August 13–15 🔹 CO Project 2.0 Learning Tour – San Luis Valley Ashley was invited to participate in this exciting initiative – led by the Scrivner Institute and the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs – to uncover and scale the most promising economic, workforce, and sustainability solutions emerging from Colorado’s rural communities. Ashley is excited to elevate the career-connected pathways partnership as a national model of innovation and resilience. 🗓️ Wednesday, August 21 🔹 Colorado Talent Academy – Vail Valley Libby and Michelle will join a statewide cohort of talent leaders to explore regional solutions and strategies for employer engagement, as part of a larger effort to align talent development across Colorado. 🗓️ Tuesday, August 27 🔹 State of the Data: Longitudinal Data System Convening – Virtual Join us at 10 a.m. for a virtual session featuring state leaders sharing milestones and next steps for Colorado’s Longitudinal Data System. This is a key moment to learn more and engage with the future of education-to-workforce data. Register Here . 🗓️ Wednesday, August 28 🔹 Quantum Commons Open House – Boulder Rana, Michelle and Katherine are looking forward to celebrating the grand opening of the first major building on the Quantum Commons campus an emerging hub for innovation and workforce collaboration. This open house will bring together partners and community leaders from across the growing quantum ecosystem. We hope to see you at one of these events—or hear from you if you’re working on similar efforts in your region. We’re always looking to share ideas, elevate stories, and support the progress that’s already underway.