HOMEGROWN PATHWAYS TO GUIDE RURAL PATHWAYS STRATEGY IN $125M FEDERALLY AND STATE FUNDED ELEVATE QUANTUM TECH HUB
For Immediate Release
RIDGWAY, COLO. — WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 — Homegrown Pathways, a nonprofit founded in rural Colorado, announced its role as a consulting partner in one of the most competitive federal tech investments of the decade. The Elevate Quantum TechHub designation by the Economic Development Administration, unlocked more than $125 million in federal and state funding to position the U.S. and the Rocky Mountain West as a global leader in the quantum sector. As part of this initiative, Homegrown Pathways will develop a rural implementation strategy for quantum career pathways across the Rocky Mountain West. The strategy will be focused on actively funded work that is currently impacting or holds potential to impact rural career pathways.
Homegrown Pathways is collaborating with the University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science through the INCLUDE Pillar of Elevate Quantum to develop a strategic roadmap that ensures rural voices, assets, and opportunities are fully integrated into the emerging quantum workforce ecosystem.
Quantum technology is expected to revolutionize fields from healthcare to energy to national security – yet gaps persist in connecting rural learners and workers to these emerging opportunities. By building intentional pathways into quantum and quantum-adjacent careers, the strategy will support rural communities to retain local talent and align local workforce development with regional economic opportunity.
“Rural talent can and should be essential contributors to guiding the development of this revolutionary technology,” said Colin Lacy, Founder & CEO at Homegrown Pathways. "Our goal is to design a rural pathways strategy that is not simply focused on exporting rural talent to the urban centers, but rather on developing a framework through which rural talent can build careers and contribute to the goals of Elevate Quantum through rural jobs and enterprises in their home region."
This work will be grounded in an ecosystem building framework, based on workforce development best practices and aligned to existing efforts within the rural Rocky Mountain West. The strategy will include potential future programming, partnerships and investments that could create a more cohesive “rural + urban” ecosystem for advanced tech talent. Ultimately, the strategy aims to position rural regions as key contributors to Elevate Quantum’s 5-year goals and ensure the United States’ “Quantum Century” is built with rural talent at the table.
“The rural areas of the Rocky Mountains, including parts of Colorado and New Mexico, blend natural beauty with emerging opportunities in advanced technologies like quantum innovation,” said Dr. Lucinda Sanders, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Elevate Quantum Workforce Consortium Co-Chair, “By integrating traditional industries with cutting-edge quantum applications, the Rocky Mountain rural areas could redefine their role in national and global technology landscapes.” Rural job creation and economic development are key priorities for the state's Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) and the quantum rural pathways strategy will be designed to support this goal.
About Homegrown Pathways
Homegrown Pathways, founded in rural Colorado, is dedicated to driving economic mobility by connecting rural youth and young adults to quality career & entrepreneurial pathways in their home region. To learn more, visit www.homegrownpathways.org
Contact: Taylor Poynor, Director of Operations & Communications, taylor@homegrownpathways.org, (614) 806-8536
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