WORKNOW and the Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center (NWCO) announce a new collaboration to bring high-paying construction jobs with robust career pathways to the Denver metro community. Denver City Council recently approved the investment of $550,000 to fund the expansion of WORKNOW’s job placement, training, and support services. The National Western Center has teamed up with Colorado State University, the National Western Stock Show Association, History Colorado and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to transform the site into a year-round destination for agricultural education, innovation, and entertainment.
“We are thrilled to partner with the National Western Center to grow our support for the community as well as the needs of Colorado’s thriving construction industry,” said Katrina Wert, Director of the Center for Workforce Initiatives at Community College of Denver. “Together, this partnership is investing in the future of our city and our people.”
Spearheaded by 11 leading local community organizations that are known as the Colorado Resource Partners (CORE), WORKNOW offers job placement, advancement, and retention assistance that holistically cares and advocates for working families. WORKNOW connects enrolled individuals (also referred to as “members”) to craft and office job opportunities, skills training, registered apprenticeships, peer-to-peer advice, career coaching, and family support resources.
“Whether an employee is entry-level or an experienced apprentice, or maybe juggling issues at home, that can interfere with job sustainability. WORKNOW CORE Partner organizations help employees bring their whole self to home and work,” said Wert. The $550,000 workforce development investment will provide additional vertical construction skills training, add more Career Navigators at partner locations, and increase the breadth of family support services available to WORKNOW members. Funding will be allocated over four years to parallel with employment needs at the National Western Center redevelopment site.
“Our partnership with WORKNOW is vital to the National Western Center redevelopment as we balance the needs and concerns of the communities impacted by our project with the demand for enthusiastic, skilled, and dedicated workers,” said Gretchen Hollrah, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center.
Additional project partners include the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Central 70 infrastructure project. This incremental investment from National Western Center encourages the ability for workers to connect to multiple construction projects in the Denver metro area to build a career path in the industry.
Since the employment platform launched in October of 2017 with founding support from Gary Community Investments and CDOT, over 580 metro Denver residents have enrolled to access support services, industry career coaching, or job training and upskilling. As of September 30, 2018 the partnership has achieved the following:
• 307 WORKNOW members completed an industry training certificate with local training partners • 190 existing construction employees enrolled in WORKNOW, completed upgrade training or earned a wage increase
• 251 WORKNOW members secured new industry employment
• 361 WORKNOW members accessed family support services such as transportation, cost relief for job work boots, tools and equipment, and re-attainment of driver’s licenses For WORKNOW membership and upcoming training, events, job opportunities, and news visit WORK-NOW.org or call 720-389-0999.
Friends of the employment platform may also connect with WORKNOW on Facebook at Facebook/WORKNOWColorado.
About WORKNOW
WORKNOW is a job recruitment, advancement and support platform for Denver metro families living in neighborhoods directly affected by community construction projects. This is Denver’s first workforce development platform striving to equalize opportunities for all Coloradans by enabling inclusive, diverse, and skilled employment opportunities in construction. WORKNOW programming is concentrated in Community Resource Navigation, Job Skills Training, Job Placement, Career Coaching & Advancement, and Community Building.
About Colorado Resource (CORE) Partners
CORE is an alliance of leading Denver metro organizations that integrates training and community resource partners for overall construction workforce readiness and career success. CORE presents the employment platform, WORKNOW to place, retain and advance workers in this industry. CORE Partners include: Gary Community Investments and the Piton Foundation, Center for Workforce Initiatives at Community College of Denver, Colorado Homebuilding Academy, Construction Careers Now, Denver Area Labor Federation, Denver Housing Authority, Denver Workforce Services at Denver Office of Economic Development, Denver Works, Focus Points Family Resource Center, Mi Casa Resource Center, Mile High Youth Corp, mPowered, and WorkLife Partnership.
About National Western Center
The Mayor’s Office of National Western Center represents a visionary transformation of the National Western Complex site into a year-round global destination for agricultural heritage and innovation. Together with our partners, the City and County of Denver, Colorado State University, Western Stock Show Association, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and History Colorado, we will convene the world at the National Western Center to lead, inspire, create, and entertain in pursuit of global food solutions.
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CONTACT: Leslie Horna, WORKNOW, 303.523.1978 Jenna Espinoza, National Western Center, 303.587.7123
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