Pikes Peak Workforce - Development Board

Organizational History

The mission of the Pikes Peak Workforce Center is to connect vital businesses with work-ready jobseekers and employer-driven services. The Center is an American Job Center serving diverse audiences of jobseekers in El Paso and Teller counties. The population of these two counties totals nearly 800,000 individuals.

In Program Year 2020, the Pikes Peak Workforce Center served more than 35,000 clients, including more than 10,000 veterans and over 1,000 young adults. The Pikes Peak Workforce Center provides no-cost job seeker services from resume assistance, interview training, computer skills training and more. Clients range from entry-level to professional; including youth, adults, individuals returning to the workforce, the underemployed, and special emphasis on underserved populations. In support of regional employers, the Pikes Peak Workforce Center hosts job fairs, tailored, recruitment and hiring events including candidate sourcing, group and individual pre-employment assessments, provides a job database of searchable candidate profiles and more.

The Pikes Peak Workforce Center promotes regional economic vitality. The organization is committed to responding to the emerging needs of the diverse and growing workforce and changing the lives of jobseekers with proven training and employment opportunities. Pikes Peak Workforce Center employment partners acknowledge the value these services add to their bottom line. The Pikes Peak Workforce Center has been recognized by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment as a model for the responsible use of federal funds and a leader in workforce development, organizational effectiveness, and collaborative partnerships.

Whom Does the Organization Serve?

Primary funding for the Pikes Peak Workforce Center is from the United States Department of Labor through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  Thepurpose of WIOAis to better align the workforce system with education and economic development in an effort to create a collective response to economic and labor market challenges on the national, state, and local levels.

The Department of Labor specifies the priority of service of those to be served.  The focus is on veterans and under-served populations to include public assistance / low-income individuals.  The overall goal is to prepare these individuals to enter or return to the workforce.  Services vary from basic job assistance preparedness to financial aid for a trade or college program.  Supportive services necessary for the individual to focus on training may be provided.  These may include bus passes, gas vouchers, food vouchers, work clothing and / or tools assistance, and even rent assistance.  These programs aim to be a hand up, not a hand out, with strict participation guidelines.

In El Paso County, 11.8% of residents speak a primary language other than English, as compared to 4.7% of Teller County Residents. 

How Will the Donor’s Investment Be Used?

The start of independent fundraising is occurring to support several projects.

Government regulations do not allow public and private funds to intermingle on federally funded programs.  In response to anticipated future federal funding cuts, the PPWFC has identified a variety of crucial job seeker initiatives and events that could be solely funded with private support.  By focusing on funding these standalone events, it will allow the PPWFC to allocate more funds to enhanced customer services and training.

For the 2020-2021 Program Year, the PPWFC is seeking support to cover the costs of the following:
Young Adult Work Readiness Series
Adult Job Fairs
Young Adult Job Fairs
Veterans Job Fairs
Appreciation Support for Workforce Development Month

Without the start of sponsorship funds, due to decreased government funding, the PPWFC will either need to cut some of these long-produced events or provide them in a reduced capacity than desired to support the needs of job seekers in the region.  If sponsorships and individual donations exceed the need for these programs, funding would aid in technology upgrades that support customer service and the potential for expanding the number of clients the PPWFC is serving

How Will the Donor’s Involvement Be Acknowledged?

Acknowledgement may vary from event to event.  In general, donors will be acknowledged via website and social media.  Larger gifts will also be acknowledged with signage / banners, radio presence and in print ads, and program booklets as possible.  Sponsorship packages are currently being developed for each event.

Please visit ppwfc.org for for information.