Talent Is Top-Tier in Castle Rock, CO 

Schools, college work together to keep a pipeline of skilled talent flowing to Castle Rock.

By Teree Caruthers on September 27, 2023

iStock.com/Phynart Studio

Local public schools in Castle Rock, CO, are teaming up with colleges and universities to assess the community’s workforce needs and keep talent flowing to in-demand industries.

Through a collaboration with Arapahoe Community College (ACC), the Douglas County School District (DCSD) plans to open the DCSD Legacy Campus, a state-of-the-art facility focused on career and technical education for both high school students and adults, in fall 2023.

Future-Focused

“We work closely with businesses in Douglas County and across Colorado to make sure we are preparing students for career opportunities right here in our community, and we have strong business and higher education partnerships that support the development of what those career pathways look like in the district,” says Erin Kane, superintendent of Douglas County School District.

Opportunities available to our students allow them to go directly into the workforce or get an early start on their higher education.

The DCSD Legacy Campus will offer programming in advanced robotics, architectural engineering, building controls technology, EMT/EMS, hospitality management and culinary, nursing (CNA), aviation transportation, future educator and secure network technologies. Kane says each of these programs will be taught by industry-qualified instructors and will allow students to earn college credits as well as industry credentials.

The school district’s career and technical education program works with an advisory made up of local business leaders knowledgeable about the industry specifics for each of the pathways offered. Their role is to help identify the requisite skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in each pathway and partner with the instructors to develop work-based experiences, such as internships and apprenticeships.

“Working closely with business and local industry, we can identify the needs of our immediate community and prepare our students for jobs that are important to their immediate needs, keeping our best and brightest here in Douglas County,” Kane says.

Arapahoe Community College

A Perfect Partnership

“ACC and DCSD are embarking on an innovative and unique partnership. There is no playbook for what we are doing at the DCSD Legacy Campus,” says Cindy Nguyen, associate director of the Sturm Collaboration Campus at ACC.

Not only is ACC providing college credits and certificates to meet the needs of DCSD high school students, but by also co-locating with Legacy Campus partners like DCSD and the University of Colorado Denver it can also offer classes and programs for adult/non-high school students, Nguyen says.

In fact, Nguyen says the college plans to move its entire robotics and automation technology program to the DCSD Legacy Campus from its Littleton Campus.

“With a new state-of-the-art lab, which garnered a $1.25 million investment from Douglas County Commissioners, we are excited to expand this program to Douglas County. ACC also offers the Emergency Medical Technician certificate at Legacy Campus, with high-fidelity manikins and an immersive simulation room for hands-on training,” she says.

Readying for Work

ACC already offers dual, or concurrent, enrollment programs for some 7,000 high school students in the region, with many of those students earning certificates and even associate degrees prior to their high school graduation at little to no cost to the students and their families.

“As our workforce needs are changing and the cost of higher education is increasing, it is important for ACC to provide students with equitable, affordable credentialing opportunities in high-demand occupations in our communities,” Nguyen says.

“The earlier students can be introduced to regional economic opportunities, the sooner they can begin to explore and reflect on pathways that may suit their interests and aptitudes before they start their post-secondary pursuits. This will lead to less debt and increased upward mobility in the long term.”

Carrie Lohr

Tours for Teachers

The Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce understands the key to successful workforce development is introducing area students, as early as possible, to local career opportunities. In 2022, Chamber leaders decided one way to accomplish this was to connect area educators with local businesses, and thus the Tours for Teachers program was born.

“The Tours for Teachers program was created to bridge the gap between education and the workforce. By introducing teachers to local career paths, our educators can better prepare our students to enter the workforce,” says Stacy Garmon, president and CEO of the Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce.

“There’s a labor shortage everywhere, so we need our students to enter the workforce more quickly than normal. Not all careers require a degree. Some just require credentials, and there’s a way to get those credentials either through on-the-job training, apprenticeships or earn-to-learn programs. Our goal is to make the teachers aware of what’s out there and available to their students.”

Participating teachers tour local businesses and attend networking events with business and industry leaders. Garmon says the interactions give teachers an opportunity to learn about the different career pathways available in the community and get a better sense of the skills businesses need. They also learn about paid apprenticeships, such as those offered by Lockheed Martin.

“These employers will offer paid on-the-job training, offer you an entry level position, then give you the opportunity to move up through the pipeline allowing students to earn their engineering degrees,” Garmon says.

The program offers benefits for businesses as well.

“This helps open lines of communication between the educators and the workforce and industry. It makes a difference that [educators] know what essential skills students need when they enter the workforce and how they can introduce those skills into the classroom to better prepare these students,” she says.