The Attainment Network Team is Hitting the Road This Spring – Let’s Connect!
April 17, 2025
Spring is in full swing, and The Attainment Network team is excited to be out and about across Colorado this April and May! We’re looking forward to learning alongside educators, employers, and community partners as we strengthen connections across the education-to-workforce landscape.
Here’s where you can find us:
- Friday, April 18 –
Cybersecurity K12 Summit, Colorado Springs
Michelle will be diving into conversations about preparing students for careers in cybersecurity and advanced technology fields. - Wednesday, April 23 – 2025 Talent Summit and 2nd Annual NOCO Sector Academy, Loveland
Libby, Michelle, Katherine, and Rana will be facilitating conversations with key sector partnerships.
- Tuesday, April 29 --
Jeffco Business and Education Summit
Rana and Michelle are excited to help connect local industry and business members to Jeffco Career and Technical Education programs. - Wednesday, April 30 –
Emily Griffith Foundation’s Celebration of Women in Trades, Denver
Michelle is excited to support EGF and honor the women making an impact in trades. - Monday, May 5 – Tuesday, May 6 –
National Student Readiness Network (NSRN) Convening, Atlanta
Rana and Michelle will be attending and connecting with national partners focused on student success and postsecondary readiness. - Wednesday, May 7 –
Colorado Business Roundtable Future of Work Event, “Looking Around Corners,” Denver
Rana will be joining conversations about workforce innovation and the evolving needs of Colorado’s economy. - Wednesday, May 7 - San Luis Valley Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo 2025, “The Future of Healthcare,” Alamosa
Ashley will join conversations about youth workforce innovation projects and expanding the future of healthcare in the San Luis Valley.
- Thursday, May 8 –
Career Cluster Modernization Convening, Colorado Springs
Libby will participate in this gathering to help shape the future of career and technical education clusters in Colorado. - Friday, May 16 –
Southwest Opportunity Now Talent Summit, Durango
Rana, Ashley, Libby, and Katherine will head to Durango to collaborate with rural partners advancing inclusive career pathways. - Thursday, May 22 – Friday, May 23 –
Bloomberg Convening on Career and Technical Education, New York
Rana will attend this national convening to share Colorado’s efforts and learn from CTE leaders across the country.
These events reflect the vibrant work happening across the education-to-workforce landscape, and we’re honored to be part of it.
Are you planning to attend any of these events? We’d love to connect! Reach out or stop by and say hello!
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.