The Greater Arvada Chamber, Red Rocks Community College (RRCC), and Education Design Lab (EDL) are working side by side with aerospace manufacturing employers to tackle one of Jefferson County’s biggest opportunities: building a stronger, more reliable pipeline into high-wage, in-demand aerospace manufacturing careers.
In March 2025, RRCC launched an employer-led regional initiative to better understand and address talent needs in aerospace manufacturing. The effort brings together RRCC, RRCC Foundation, EDL, the Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce, Jeffco Economic Development Corporation, Jefferson County Business & Workforce Center, Manufacturers Edge, and Jeffco Public Schools, alongside employers Barber-Nichols, CoorsTek, EPOCS, Faustson, Kratos, Lockheed Martin, and Sundyne. By using the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) approach and building on previous advanced manufacturing work, partners avoided duplicating efforts and created a shared, data-driven picture of what the industry really needs.
What the New Report Reveals
The new Regional Talent and Employee Training Needs Assessment takes a close look at six critical roles that keep aerospace manufacturing running:
- CNC Machinists
- Precision Machinists
- Quality Inspectors
- Assemblers/Fabricators
- Electrical Technicians
- Industrial Maintenance Technicians
For each of these roles, partners examined current and projected demand, hiring requirements, and existing pathways into these roles. This helped identify gaps and opportunities for building in more aligned career pathways to meet demand.
The report also surfaces several urgent challenges facing the industry, including:
- An aging workforce, with many experienced workers nearing retirement.
- A shrinking local talent pool, making it harder to fill open roles.
- Skills mismatches between what employers need and what many training programs currently provide.
- Persistent shortages in critical technical roles.
- Diversity gaps, especially among women, people of color, and veterans in technical positions.
- Security clearance constraints that narrow the pool of eligible candidates.
These issues are not unique to Jefferson County, but by naming them clearly and grounding them in data, the region is better positioned to respond.
Why This Work Matters
This initiative is about more than filling job openings. It is about creating clear, supported pathways into careers that pay a living wage and offer real advancement, especially for learners who have historically been underrepresented in aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
By centering employers and using a structured, data-driven TPM approach, partners can align classroom learning with real-world skills, reduce guesswork for learners, and help education and workforce systems invest where it matters most. At the same time, employers gain a more predictable talent pipeline and a stronger foundation for long-term growth.
What Comes Next
The work completed so far is just the first step. The next phase, led by Education Design Lab, will focus on designing clear aerospace manufacturing career pathways and stackable micro-credentials. A “core first, specialize second” approach will help learners build foundational skills before choosing a more specific direction, such as machining, quality, assembly, electrical, or maintenance.
Informed by the Greater Arvada Chamber’s deep engagement with employers and analysis of supply and demand gaps, these pathways and micro-credentials will be designed to:
- Connect more learners to living-wage aerospace opportunities.
- Make it easier for people to enter and advance within the sector.
- Help employers access the right skills at the right time.
Together, these efforts aim to create a more inclusive, resilient aerospace manufacturing talent pipeline that works for both learners and employers across Jefferson County and the region.
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