Red Rocks Community College Opportunity Now Aerospace Manufacturing Grant

The Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) Opportunity Now Aerospace Manufacturing initiative created a shared, employer-driven foundation for strengthening the region’s aerospace and advanced manufacturing talent pipeline. From March 2025 through August 2026, the project moved from understanding workforce demand and training gaps to designing connected career pathways, expanding training, organizing regional
programs, and testing tools that can help learners navigate from preparation to employment.

The work unfolded in two connected phases. In Phase 1, led by the Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce using the Talent Pipeline Management framework, seven employers—Barber-Nichols, CoorsTek, EPOCS, Faustson, Kratos, Lockheed Martin, and Sundyne—shared workforce data, identified common challenges, and aligned around six critical occupations. Together, they projected approximately 450 openings for 2026–2027 and defined the technical competencies, durable skills, certifications, and training needed to prepare people for those roles.

In Phase 2, facilitated by Education Design Lab (EDL), partners translated that employer-validated foundation into career pathways, a regional program directory, expanded training opportunities, and tools for connecting learners, training providers, and employers. This phase moved the project from assessment to
implementation while creating a more coordinated framework for sustaining and expanding the regional talent pipeline.

Key impacts include:

• Turned employer-validated data into training action. RRCC launched a shorter, more accessible
  CNC Machining Bootcamp based on the America’s Cutting Edge curriculum and the workforce needs identified by participating employers. By August 2026, the 32-hour course had been delivered five times at RRCC and CoorsTek, with 47 participants completing the training and at least one
  additional delivery planned for 2026. Employer visits also gave learners direct exposure to
  participating companies and available career opportunities.
• Expanded entry points into manufacturing careers. Learners can explore machining through a
  six-hour online introductory course and continue building relevant skills through online Composites
  and Metrology courses. Warren Tech and Red Rocks Community College are also developing a joint
  Mechatronics program planned for fall 2027, with certifications and concurrent-enrollment
  opportunities supporting aerospace, quantum, and related manufacturing pathways.
• Organized regional training assets into connected pathways. EDL developed career pathways
  and a directory, called AeroPath, identifying 31 providers and 68 programs, credentials, bootcamps,
  apprenticeships, and other opportunities across eight occupational pathways. The directory connects
  programs to occupations and career levels, helping partners identify existing assets, potential gaps,
  and opportunities for credential stacking.
• Translated the pathway work into a learner-centered navigation concept. AeroPath demonstrates how occupations, advancement opportunities, skills, training programs, and education providers could be presented as a connected, navigable experience. Although it is not intended for public use in its current form, it provides a tangible model for incorporating the project’s pathway work into a platform designed for long-term implementation.
• Established a transparent feedback loop among employers, providers, and workforce partners. Through the CareerFit Colorado pilot, four Verified Talent Provider programs and seven employers were added to the platform. By the end of Q3 2026, 145 local job seekers interested in advanced or aerospace manufacturing had created profiles, including 22 CNC Machining Bootcamp completers. Early implementation also showed that direct outreach to learners is more effective than relying primarily on instructors to introduce the platform.
• Strengthened regional relationships and shared ownership. Employers, education providers, workforce organizations, economic development leaders, and community partners developed a common language around workforce demand, skills, training quality, and career progression. The planned Peer Community Leadership Exchange with Pima County was designed to deepen that collaboration and generate practical ideas for sustaining the work beyond the grant period.

Together, these results provide more than a set of standalone deliverables. The region now has a clearer
understanding of employer needs, a more organized view of available training, expanded entry points for
learners, and stronger connections among training, career pathways, and employment.

Sustaining this impact will require continued employer feedback, provider responsiveness, direct learner
outreach, coordination with existing workforce and education platforms, and clear ownership for keeping
pathway and program information current. The project leaves Jefferson County and its regional partners with
stronger relationships and a more coordinated foundation for helping learners access living-wage careers
while helping employers develop the workforce they need.

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