The Colorado Career Advisor Training Program stands as a crucial initiative designed to enhance the capabilities of career advising professionals across various sectors in Colorado. Recognizing the pivotal role of effective career guidance, this program aims to expand and refine the state’s career advising capacity, ensuring that individuals receive the support they need to navigate their career paths successfully.
Program Objectives and Key Initiatives
Funded through the 2023-24 Colorado Career Advisor Training Grant, with approximately $972,000 allocated until June 30, 2025, the program is structured around several core objectives, each contributing to a more robust and coordinated career advising ecosystem in Colorado. These objectives include:
- Comprehensive Resource Mapping: A thorough landscape review is being conducted to identify and catalog existing career advising resources across diverse sectors, from K-12 education to workforce development and community organizations. This effort, spearheaded by The Attainment Network, will culminate in a summary report with recommendations for leveraging these resources effectively.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Platform Development: To ensure inclusivity and relevance, regional forums, both in-person and virtual, are being organized by Bellwether and Business Education Alliance. These forums gather feedback from stakeholders to inform the development of a statewide Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP)/career pathways platform, aligning with the recommendations of the 1215 Task Force.
- ICAP Framework Development: Building upon stakeholder input, Bellwether and YAASPA are collaborating to draft an ICAP framework tailored for Colorado. This framework aims to extend the applicability of ICAPs to adults, incorporating credentials and diverse career pathways beyond traditional academic routes.
- Credentialing and Professional Standards: YAASPA is leading the development of recommendations for a Colorado Career Advisor Credential. This initiative seeks to establish professional standards aligned with national criteria, potentially including endorsements for licensed educators or pathways to existing national career credentials.
- Statewide Career Advising Conference: A major statewide conference, organized by the Business Education Alliance, will serve as a platform to disseminate the findings and outcomes of Objectives 1-4. This conference, expecting over 500 attendees, will focus on cross-sector training, regional collaboration updates, student and job-seeker perspectives, high-demand career awareness, and other relevant training opportunities.
- Maintenance of Online Resources: Ongoing support and maintenance are provided for the Colorado Career Advising tool, a valuable online resource developed in a previous program round, ensuring its continued accessibility and utility.
Building on a Foundation of Success
The current Career Advisor Training Program builds upon the legacy of the Colorado Career Conversations Training project, launched in 2019. This pioneering initiative established a national model for training career advisors across systems. Although temporarily interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, initial evaluations highlighted the project’s success in expanding the pool of highly skilled career advisors, particularly in high-need economic sectors. It also fostered a more consistent and sustainable approach to career advising throughout Colorado.
Recognizing the proven impact of this initial effort, the Colorado General Assembly passed Senate Bill 22-165 in the 2022 session to formally continue the Colorado Career Advisor Training Grant Program. This legislative support underscores the state’s commitment to investing in career advising as a critical component of workforce development and individual success. By focusing on evidence-based practices and data-driven decision-making, utilizing labor market information, the program aims to streamline services, enhance advisor skills, and ultimately, empower individuals to make informed career choices.
Contact Information
For further inquiries regarding the Colorado Career Advisor Training Program, please contact Michelle Romero at [email protected].
