Boulder Chamber Recognized as a State Leader in Workforce Development

Boulder Chamber Workforce Development Director Corine Waldau presents on the opening panel of the TalentFound Quarterly Conversation.

Skillful Colorado recently recognized the Boulder Chamber for its leadership in implementing skills-based hiring training and practices. The following recognition was written by Skillful Colorado staff to highlight the Boulder Chamber’s impact statewide:

"Boulder Chamber has been instrumental in introducing a competency-based labor market in Colorado. Through awareness efforts such as including Skillful presentations at events like Boulder Economic Summit and Boulder Economic Forecast, getting competency-based practices highlighted on the front page of the Daily Camera, social media and newsletters, and trainings, in partnership with Skillful, Boulder Chamber has raised awareness of competency-based hiring to over 1,000 companies and organizations in the region. The Chamber’s efforts have resulted in key successes in building a competency-based labor market including enthusiastic support from other local partners, implementation of skills-based employment practices in the tech sector through the Boulder Tech Sector Partnership, and Boulder County becoming the first county in Colorado to fully adopt a skills-based approach to hiring across their organization. Staff at Denver and Aurora Chambers have looked to Boulder Chamber’s leadership to make implement competency-based hiring and training in their local business communities. Boulder Chamber’s partnership with Skillful has led to statewide impact through sharing competency-based hiring with the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association and a forthcoming presentation to Colorado Association of School Business Officials.

Corine Waldau recently presented on a fireside chat at the Skillful Talent Series Facilitator Retreat to 20+ key Skillful partners committed to moving Colorado to a competency-based labor market. Due to Boulder Chamber’s leadership in championing competency-based employment practices, Corine shared Boulder Chamber’s approach to partnership development and raising awareness in the business community about competency-based hiring and driving attendance to Skillful Talent Series trainings. The successful avenues of bringing competency-based hiring to business provided valuable insights to partners attending in ways they could implement approaches developed by Boulder Chamber in their own local communities across the state."

- SKILLFUL

The Boulder Chamber was also invited to showcase the important leadership role we are now playing - in collaboration with our other county-wide workforce development service partners - in meeting the workforce needs of local businesses at the TalentFound Quarterly Conversation. The TalentFound event convened the key collaborators in Colorado's efforts to enhance our workforce development ecosystem. There were featured remarks from both Governor Jared Polis and Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Executive Director Joe Barela, testifying to the importance that the Polis administration is placing on preparing our workforce to meet current and future talent needs.

Notably, the Boulder Chamber's Workforce Development Director, Corine Waldau, was invited to sit on the opening panel to describe the important role that chambers can play in achieving workforce development goals. Corine emphasized, in particular, the ability chambers have to convene a wide cross-section of workforce development assets. She also highlighted the role chambers can serve as a conduit to the full spectrum of impacted businesses and consolidating the information on workforce resources in a fashion that is most accessible to the business community. These are all roles the Boulder Chamber is playing through the Boulder Together program.