Western slope built

state-wide DESIGN

Leading institutions and organizations across three regions of the Western Slope of Colorado received Planning Grants from Serve Colorado.

Across the three planning grantees, as the lead applicant or their primary career pathways partners, a very unique regional collaboration has developed that includes:

  • 8 counties 

  • 9+ school districts 

  • 6+ higher education institutions 

  • At-risk youth direct-service providers with extensive regional experience 

  • The largest county government on the Western Slope 

The above does not include the dozens of businesses, industry partners, workforce development organizations/departments, and other strategic partners that are helping to guide the planning and design process. 

  • West Central Region

    LEAD GRANTEE
    Partners of Delta, Montrose & Ouray

    Partners of Delta, Montrose & Ouray has been providing best-in-class mentoring for at-risk youth for over 37 years. Partners serves as the fiscal sponsor of Homegrown Pathways Inc.

    PRIMARY CAREER PATHWAYS PARTNER
    Western Slope Schools Career Collaborative (WSSCC)

    WSSCC is a Rural Coaction grantee (Colorado Dept of Education) comprising the Montrose, Delta, Gunnison and Ridgway School Districts, together with Colorado Mesa University, Technical College of Rockies and Western Colorado University.

  • Greater Yampa Valley Region (Northwest)

    LEAD GRANTEE
    Colorado Northwest Community College (CNCC)

    CNCC has been advancing career pathways since 1962 and has built a unique portfolio of degrees and certifications that directly connect to high-quality careers in the region. CNCC is serving as the fiscal sponsor of the Yampa Valley Partnership for the region’s application to Serve Colorado.

    PRIMARY CAREER PATHWAYS PARTNER
    Yampa Valley Partnership for Students, Stewardship and Sustainability (YVPS3)

    YVPS3 is a Rural Coaction grantee (Colorado Dept of Education) comprising the Hayden, Moffat County, South Routt, and Steamboat Springs School Districts, together with CNCC and Colorado Mountain College.

  • Mesa County

    LEAD GRANTEE
    Mesa County

    Mesa County is continuing to expand its efforts to advance workforce development for our region with emphasis on supporting community members from low-income families. The Mesa County Workforce Center serves as a “one-stop shop” designed to serve the needs of businesses and job seekers, including through no-cost services that include trainings, workshops, and recruitment assistance.

    PRIMARY CAREER PATHWAYS PARTNER
    Colorado Mesa University Tech

    CMU Tech is now home to the career and technical programs at Colorado Mesa University and is increasing its efforts to build pipelines of K-12 learners into its programs and certifications, in partnership with Mesa County Valley School District 51.

Scale and REGIONAL Coordination 

The collective intent of these partners is to apply for a single operational AmeriCorps grant in 2025 under Homegrown Pathways across the Western Slope. Pending support from the funding community, the goal will be to have 5-10 full-time AmeriCorps members serving in each region in 2025. This implementation network creates the potential for an extraordinarily unique career pathway experience and social capital network for the AmeriCorps service members themselves. 

While the initial design process is focused on the Western Slope, the intent of the model is to scale across rural regions state-wide as well as in underinvested urban communities.