[written by Joining Vision and Action] to boost enrollment in a training program for the construction trades.

The Associated General Contractors of Colorado, along with the Colorado Contractors Association, the Hispanic Contractors of Colorado and Emily Griffith Technical College in Denver, won the grant to recruit potential construction workers to attend a one-month Construction Careers Now course at Emily Griffith. Upon completion, students will be eligible to be hired by a construction firm and placed into immediate employment with on-the-job training and a formal apprenticeship program. The sponsor organizations are raising the funds to pay the tuition costs of the students and the classes are at night so participants can keep their day jobs during the course.

“Connecting Coloradans to good-paying jobs is our goal, and Construction Careers Now is exactly the kind of program we envisioned for these grants,” Rep. Pabon said.

“This program is a wide-open on-ramp to the construction industry at a time when the industry is struggling to find the employees it needs to keep Colorado’s construction economy strong,” Rep. Williams said.

The 2015 law, HB15-1276, was sponsored by Reps. Pabon and Williams. It created a $10 million grant program, administered by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, to assist in the outreach, recruiting and training efforts of organizations offering skilled worker training programs.  The grants focus on recruitment and marketing to increase enrollment in skilled worker training programs.

The announcement was made this morning at a press conference at an AGC gathering at the Denver Marriott City Center.