Rural Colorado Workforce Development
College of Health and Human Sciences
Human Development & Family Studies
Statewide
(Lake)
- Community & Economic Development
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
Community & Economic Development
Other Topics:
4-H & Youth, DEI
Internship Overview:
This overall project is titled “Serving Rural America through Land-Grant Colleges & Universities: Unlocking the Workforce Development Potential of Extension Services,” and is supported by a $1.1 million grant from the Ascendium Education Group. The project just began in November 2023, will last 30 months, and is in partnership with a national non-profit, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), which is headquartered in Boulder. The overall grant has three main objectives: Objective 1: Reimagine Extension Possibilities – A Framework for Extension as a Catalyst for Rural Workforce Education and Development; Objective 2: Understanding Effective Practices – Using Labor Market Information to Inform Extension Programming; and Objective 3: Illuminate a Path Forward – State and Institutional Policy and Practice Recommendations. The project team is interested in inviting a student intern in summer 2024 to support work related to Objective 2, relating to the use of labor market information (LMI) data in workforce development programs in Colorado.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
This particular internship will help identify and cull labor market data sources and uses in rural Colorado workforce development, with guidance from Dr. Naughton and support coming from data analyst team members at NCHEMS. Harper Pettit will support the intern in investigating workforce programs and processes in rural Colorado. The goal will be to develop a case study of Colorado relating to the use of labor market information (LMI) data to identify and catalogue 1) workforce assets and needs; 2) connections to career pathways; 3) inventories of workforce development partners and programs; and 4) understandings of learner demand and accessibility for workforce development programming. This Colorado case study will inform and model the structure, process, data, and other aspects of 4 larger grant-funded national state case studies to be conducted over the course of the project.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
The student will work with Colorado’s workforce development community, including state agencies, local agencies, and workforce programming providers.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
The student intern’s learning outcomes might include 1) an understanding of workforce development policy and education, training, and development systems; 2) applied data use in a human development / workforce development field; 3) independent project management; 4) data synthesis and presentation; 5) case study development and presentation; and 6) understanding inclusive and equitable approaches to meeting needs of diverse rural learners. Skills for potential professional development include data mining and interpretation; surveying and interviewing; partnership communication; and project management.
