Workforce Development
Colorado has more than $1 billion in state and federal funding to improve internet, bringing thousands of high-quality jobs and careers in telecom for Colorado residents over the next few years. The jobs needed are in telecommunications, construction, engineering and technicians. The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) collaborates with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), other state agencies, industry partners, universities and high schools, labor unions, and nonprofit organizations to create workforce training curriculums and programs and find and inform potential workers.
Workforce Plan Goals
- Awareness: Reach 10,000 Coloradans by Dec. 2024
- Training: 3,000 Coloradans enter training for broadband by Dec. 2025
- Employment: 1,500 new Coloradans employed in broadband field by Dec. 2026
Broadband Workforce
State and Federal broadband funding in Colorado is estimated to create more than 3,000 construction jobs and telecommunications jobs by 2026, including:
- Land Surveyor/ Topographer - Responsible for making measurements and determining property boundaries.
- Foreman/ Supervisor - Responsible for the supervision and organization of site personnel and the reporting of all pertinent site activities and managing the quality of work performed.
- Laborer - Responsible for providing physical labor on a construction site, expected to safely operate machinery, and assist skilled trades as needed.
Training & Apprenticeship Resources
Career Exploration Resources
Workforce in the News
- What Broadband Leaders Need to Know About Recruiting New Workers, Broadband Breakfast, Sept. 20, 2024
- Latinas in Tech working to diversify workforce, create more opportunities for people fighting to be at the table, 9News, Sept. 17, 2024
- New Apprenticeship Program Hopes to Train a New Generation of Broadband Workers, telecompetitor, Sept. 11, 2024
- “We Need More Than Just Warm Bodies” — FBA Leader Talks Broadband Workforce, telecompetitor, Sept. 11, 2024
- Tomorrow’s Broadband Workforce Must Be Inclusive, Says Former AT&T Business CEO, telecompetitor, Sept. 9, 2024
- Calling all workers! Urgent needs in the broadband workforce remain, Broadband Communities, Aug. 26, 2024
- The U.S. needs 58k more workers to deploy broadband, Fierce, Aug. 6, 2024
Announcements/Upcoming Events
- Training Pilot for Southwest Colorado (Projected end of October)