We’re Celebrating Progress and Looking Ahead

December 11, 2025

We’ve been busy this month! So busy, in fact, that we’re a tiny bit late in sharing all the places and spaces our team will be visiting. As 2025 winds down, we are looking forward to learning, sharing, and connecting with partners across the state and the nation who share our commitment to education-to-career transformation.


πŸ—“οΈ December 2–5

πŸ”Ή CivicLab Convening – Savannah, GA

Libby joined this national gathering hosted by CivicLab, focused on strengthening civic infrastructure, collaboration, and systems change.


πŸ—“οΈ December 5

πŸ”Ή Young Invincibles Policy Shark Tank – Denver

Katherine and Michelle attended this exciting event to hear young leaders pitch their policy ideas across education, workforce, and health.


πŸ”Ή Prosperity and Progress Celebration – Denver

Rana, Michelle, and Katherine joined partners and Prosperity Denver Fund to celebrate the impact of collective investments in student success and economic mobility and to celebrate the unveiling of their new logo and branding campaign


πŸ—“οΈ December 10

πŸ”Ή Cañon City ICAP in Action Tour – Cañon City

Ashley and SLV partners will tour Cañon City High School’s Innovation Center to learn from their success with ICAP implementation and career exploration programming.


πŸ”Ή Release of Talent Development Recommendations – Denver

Rana will join other state, education and workforce leaders for the release of the state agency recommendations required by Governor Polis’ Executive Order to reimagine Colorado’s talent development systems. 


πŸ—“οΈ December 11
πŸ”Ή Emily Griffith Foundation Holiday Party – Denver
Rana is joining partners and friends for this annual celebration of Emily Griffith Foundation’s work and impact.


πŸ—“οΈ December 16

πŸ”Ή Talent Pipeline Report Release – Virtual
We’re all tuning into as the Colorado Workforce Development council releases the 2025 Colorado Talent Pipeline Report. We’re excited to see the data on workforce supply and demand, hear about the most in-demand occupations, and explore policy recommendations to strengthen Colorado’s talent ecosystem.


ο»ΏπŸ”Ή Introduction to Workforce Pell Webinar – Virtual
Michelle will attend this national webinar exploring the rollout of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and expanded Pell Grant access for short-term workforce programs.


πŸ—“οΈ December 24 - January 2
Our team will be slowing down over the holidays, reflecting on a year of growth, learning, and collaboration – and refueling for a new year full of partnership and progress.


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: πŸ‘‰ Slides πŸ‘‰ 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 πŸ“Š 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. ο»Ώ Here’s where you can find us this March: πŸ—“οΈ March 3–5 πŸ”Ή 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. πŸ—“οΈ March 5 πŸ”Ή 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. πŸ—“οΈ March 11 πŸ”Ή 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. πŸ”Ή 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. πŸ—“οΈ March 11–12 πŸ”Ή SLV Partnership Leadership Meetings – San Luis Valley Rana will meet with regional partners to discuss healthcare pathways progress and explore new opportunities for growth. πŸ—“οΈ March 18 πŸ”Ή 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. πŸ—“οΈ March 19 πŸ”Ή 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. πŸ—“οΈ March 31 – April 2 πŸ”Ή 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.