Align Student Outcomes with Colorado’s Growing Skills Requirements

ABM Colorado

Governor Polis’s recent executive order promotes skills-based hiring for state jobs, highlighting the need to align curriculum with market needs at the skill level. According to the 2021 Colorado Talent Pipeline report, employers added 5,100 nonfarm payroll jobs for a total of 2,741,100 jobs in the state from August to September in 2021. By aligning academic programs to the needs of this growing job market, you can deliver programs that attract today's career-focused learners and prepare them for post-college success. Here's four ways that Lightcast's best-in-class labor market insight can help.

1. Investigate Before You Invest 

The job market is changing fast. Before investing in new programs or updating existing ones, it’s critical to understand the size, speed, and direction of that change. Lightcast data lets you make program decisions with confidence by providing comprehensive coverage and in-depth insight, including:


• Hiring hotspots within and near Colorado

• Growing occupations & job titles

• In-demand skills and qualifications

• Current workers’ education and work history 

• Demographic data on Colorado industries


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Top Growing Occupations in Colorado

2. Align Curricula and Careers via Skills

According to the 2021 Colorado Talent Pipeline Report, over 60% of Colorado employers say hiring challenges have increased since the pandemic — and that workers’ skills and competencies have not kept up. Get the insight you need to ensure your institution is part of closing this critical gap. With Lightcast data, you’ll be able to:


• Identify where work-relevant skills are already taught in your curriculum

• Validate how programs and specific courses align to industry needs

• Help learners articulate learning outcomes in the skill-based language of the labor market


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Top specialized job skills in colorado

3. Provide a Career Vision for Current and Prospective Learners

Strong demand for skilled workers in Colorado means tremendous opportunity for the state’s graduates. By clarifying the connection between academic programs and real career opportunities in Colorado and beyond, you can give prospective students the confidence and clarity they need to enroll. Lightcast data enables you to:

• Help prospective learners explore careers and quickly find related programs

• Embed up-to-date, state-specific career data directly into relevant pages of your institution’s site

• Help working adults catalog the skills they have, clarify the skills they need, and find the courses you teach that can help them close the gap


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how many people in colorado have a bachelor's degree

4. Easily Compare Completions and Assess Market Share

See how your institution compares to peers in Colorado and across the nation when it comes to degree completions. See completions by modality, program level, and more right alongside IPEDS tuition and fee data to get a snapshot of your competitive landscape.


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colorado education pipeline

Ready to build market-aligned programs for Colorado's workers and learners?

Complete the form to get in touch with a Lightcast education team specialist! We'll follow up to learn more about your goals and explore how our data can help.