(Denver, Colo.) The Colorado Helps Advanced Manufacturing Program (CHAMP) has launched a new interactive website to help job seekers and college students learn about and transition into careers in Colorado’s booming advanced manufacturing industry, Dr. Nancy McCallin, President, Colorado Community College System announced. The site, MfgWorksCO.com features a suite of interactive tools ranging from Career Maps to Skills Crosswalks to help users better understand the job prospects in advanced manufacturing and the skills and education necessary to take advantage of these growing job opportunities.

In making the announcement, McCallin said, “Today Colorado is in the midst of a manufacturing revolution. Thanks to a surge of new technologies and innovations, today’s manufacturing industry hardly resembles the gritty shop floors of the past. Advanced manufacturing predominantly is centered on innovative technologies and state-of-the art facilities. The industry requires sophisticated skills that translate into rewarding careers and high salaries. We created this site so that users can better understand the opportunities available and the steps they need to take to move into these satisfying and well-paying careers.”

At Trinidad State, training is available in machining and welding.

The site: MfgWorksCO.com was created by a team that included the Colorado Community College System, the Colorado Workforce Development Council, Manufacturer’s EDGE, The Manufacturing Institute, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, the Colorado Advanced Manufacturing Alliance, and 28 leading manufacturers in Colorado.

Peter Hancock from Aerotek, a Colorado manufacturing company that helped build the site, said, “There is a tremendous opportunity in advanced manufacturing here in Colorado, but many people still think of the industry in terms of outdated stereotypes that are simply not true. Advanced manufacturing today brings together new technologies and cutting-edge materials to make the products that shape our quality of life and to create new products that will make our lives better.”

Added Stephanie Steffens, Director of the Colorado Workforce Development Council, “We are excited about the resources available at the site, particularly because it all fits in perfectly with the Governor’s Blueprint for economic development within the state. The jobs in advanced manufacturing have the potential to deliver rich, meaningful careers to workers in Colorado who can point with pride at the products they helped create.”

The website is designed for students, workers, and veterans in Colorado to help them learn about the many educational and career opportunities available to move into, or upward, or across, in advanced manufacturing.

The website is designed for students, workers, and veterans in Colorado to help them learn about the many educational and career opportunities available to move into, or upward, or across, in advanced manufacturing.

  • Skills Crosswalks, to help workers who seek to move into advanced manufacturing careers understand how the skills they have fit into a new career path and what additional educational training and skills they will need to accomplish the move.
  • Job Types with rich detailed job descriptions for workers and students outlining what it is like to work in these advanced manufacturing roles for those who are curious about the kinds of jobs in advanced manufacturing.
  • A Career Map which helps the user visualize an entire industry and learn what educational paths to follow to move upward or laterally.
  • A special section created specifically for veterans where they can see how the skills and training they acquired while serving our country can help qualify them for a career in advanced manufacturing. Today’s manufacturing jobs are perfect for transitioning service members and veterans who can be employed and live comfortably in a growing career field with relatively little post-service training required.

Added McCallin, “People need to understand the greater role manufacturing employees play in making all the technologies that we rely on to make our lives better, easier, safer and more fun. In addition, not only do manufacturing workers love their jobs, they make a great standard of living. Industry workers enjoy stable, lucrative jobs with opportunity to build a long-term career and this new website is a one-stop-shop where they learn everything they need to embark upon a career in this industry.”

Pamela Tate, CEO and President of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, (CAEL), worked closely with Colorado’s advanced manufacturing stakeholders to develop the site. She said, “We were thrilled to work with CCCS and the community’s manufacturing employers to support this important initiative in Colorado. The site is a revolutionary tool and can serve as a national model to help articulate and socialize career pathways to build and strengthen our nation’s workforce. It’s another resource to support our citizens by helping them to link their learning and education to enriching careers in viable industries.”

Concluded McCallin, “We invite you to visit the site and discover your pathway to a rewarding career in advanced manufacturing. You will find job descriptions for dozens of popular positions and profiles of the top employers in Colorado. You will find schools and programs dedicated to helping you achieve your dreams. It is an opportunity to start a new career. Start creating the career of your dreams today and visit www.MfgWorksCO.com.”

CHAMP is led by the Colorado Community College System and is a consortium of colleges, employers, and workforce development stakeholders dedicated to growing the workforce for the advanced manufacturing industry in Colorado through strong industry-education partnerships.

The Colorado Community College System comprises the state’s largest system of higher education serving more than 151,000 students annually. It oversees career and academic programs in the 13 state community colleges and career and technical programs in more than 160 school districts and six other post-secondary institutions.

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Chicago, Illinois that assists adults with their educational endeavors, finding practical ways to help them earn college credit for learning acquired through life and work experiences toward the completion of a postsecondary degree. CAEL works with the public sector, private sector industries, and higher education institutions to ensure that adult students receive the most efficient training and education to occupy a meaningful professional place in a 21st century economy.