Events
8th Grade Career Expo
The 8th Grade Career Expo serves as the pivotal introduction for students to professionals representing career options in Colorado’s Industry Career Cluster. The Consortium takes this approach because exposure events starting at 8th grade are critical, as research shows middle school is the strongest time in education for career guidance. Career exposure helps with goal setting and transitioning to high school and helps prevent disengagement in education that is often prevalent at the transition from middle to high school.
Apprenticeship Fair
The Apprenticeship Fair raises awareness of career pathways and apprenticeship opportunities in a variety of industries for high school students. Businesses promote opportunities for on-the-job training in high-demand careers in an engaging and interactive environment. The Consortium follows the recommendation of the 2021 Colorado Department of Higher Education Report, which cites the number one recommendation for K-12 partners is to support preparation, enrollment, and credentialing attainment. The Apprenticeship Fair is a key preparation and exposure event for student enrollment in certificate and alternative credentialing programing.
Classroom to Career Symposium
Classroom to Career is an event for high school students in which participants attend various career preparation workshops, engage in networking with business professionals and hear inspiring career success stories. The Consortium takes this approach so that students can be strongly prepared to enter the workforce with a competitive edge having developed essential people skills which is particularly crucial after years of pandemic isolation. The Consortium models all workshop offerings from the CDE Essential Skills Graduation Requirements built from the 2021 Talent Pipeline report that aggregated the top people skills that employers are looking for in their workforce.