Talent Pipeline Management Progress Report: June 2025

The Metro Denver region has an established advanced manufacturing economy, accounting for nearly 6.5% of the region’s total employment. To ensure Arvada and Jefferson / Adams Counties develop, retain, and attract the skilled workers needed to continue to grow this sector and bridge the gap between the skills that job seekers possess and the skills that employers need, the Greater Arvada Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson County (JeffCo) Business and Workforce Center launched the Metro-West Advanced Manufacturing Alliance (MWAMA) Sector Partnership in April 2023. 

Sundyne, TTM Technologies, Kratos, Barber-Nichols, Well Master, and CoorsTek have invested time and resources in understanding the talent gaps, their root causes, and brainstorming creative solutions. Our assessment of the critical pain points based on consistent employer feedback and additional research includes:

• Workforce skill alignment
• Strong competition for a shallow talent pool
• Hiring process efficiency
• Negative industry perception
• Mismatch of job requirements and desired job structures
• Retention 

The cohort agreed to use the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) process to solve for the employers’ hiring and skill demands. This report provides an overview of the workforce skill alignment work accomplished so far, including aligning on critical roles and skills, aggregating demand, and increasing Machinist training capacity by 200 seats through strategic provider partnerships.

Executive Summary

Through three meetings, the six employers identified the top three critical roles to focus on: Machinist, Quality Inspector, and Manufacturing Engineer. They then began a deep dive into the skills and experiences required for Machinists. They also shared their hiring projections for 2024 – 2026, which were then aggregated and shared to establish what the total need might look like. There were 350 openings across the three roles. 

We compared the labor market data in Lightcast™, specifically the forecast and skills, to the information provided directly from employers. We also identified discrepancies in which roles have the most significant need, highlighting the need for further discussion. The desired and required skills were generally in alignment. Still, there was also an opportunity for greater alignment among employers to create a single narrative that can be shared with education and training providers.

Based on Lightcast™ data on program completions from Metro Area institutions, we identified a need for an additional 877 people to complete relevant programs to meet the growing need. A Machinist Boot Camp will be launching later this year, adding 200 seats, which is a great start. Further research, understanding of program data, analysis of current talent flows, brainstorming, and innovative solutioning will be required to continue to increase the pool of qualified talent and ultimately solve these employers’ – and others’ who join the cohort – talent challenges.

Demand Outcomes Identified

The six employers selected Machinist, Quality Inspector, and Manufacturing Engineer as the most critical jobs to focus on initially. To understand the data around these roles, we collected Labor Market Information (LMI) from Lightcast™ for Jefferson County and the broader Metro Area for the 12-month period of April 2024 – March 2025.

	Jefferson County				Metro Area Denver, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe
Role	Unique Job Postings (UJP)	Employers Competing (EC)	Median Posting Duration (MPD)	Comp. Avg. (CA)	UJP	EC	MPD	CA
Machinist	38	22	16	$59,429	98	52	21	$59,152
Quality Inspector	341	152	24	$49,393	1,393	568	24	$49,503
Manufact. Engineer	362	146	26	$100,790	1,305	390	24	$99,271

For JeffCo alone, we are looking at a total of 741 open jobs, and that grows to 2,796 across the Metro Area. However, as the LMI does not include levels or breakdown of new/replacement or full-time/part-time, we also asked our six participating companies to share their projections for 2024-2026 roles. These are broken down by role and level below and are inclusive of new, replacement (due to promotion, retirement, other turnover), part-time, and full-time roles.

Role	Level	Employer Actual Demand	Total Actual Demand by Role	Total Actual Demand
Machinist	Entry	96	237	350 (new + replacement + part-time + full-time)
	Mid	104
	Senior	37
Manufacturing Engineer	Entry	17	55
	Mid	18
	Senior	20
Quality Inspector	Entry	24	58
	Mid	23
	Senior	11

Five of six companies also provided specifics about part-time and replacement positions. Part-time positions account for approximately 16% of the Machinist, 23% of the Manufacturing Engineer, and 14% of Quality Inspector roles. Replacement positions account for 62% of Machinist roles, 49% of Manufacturing Engineers, and 46% of Quality Inspector roles.

Extrapolating the 350 jobs we know from six employers to the hundreds of employers competing would indicate a true demand much greater than the LMI data shows. In addition, the employer actuals break down across the three roles in a much different way than the LMI data indicates, with Machinists need almost 5x the needs for Manufacturing Engineers and Quality Inspectors, the inverse of the LMI numbers. Lastly, the majority of the top employers in the Metro Area for each role are staffing firms, so we can’t be sure what actual percentage of employment can be attributed to each company. This strengthens the case for increasing the time, talent, and treasure allocated to better understanding and addressing this growing need.

We will continue collecting data from employers and adjust the projections periodically as appropriate.

Skills Navigated and Aligned

Employers shared 20 job descriptions detailing the skills and requirements for each role so needs can be communicated cohesively to potential educational partners. During an initial alignment session, employers discussed a common language and requirements versus nice-to-haves. The next step will be to create and agree on common required job functions, skills, technologies, credentials, work experience, and anything else specific to the job (i.e. driver’s license). Employers can then bake those commonalities into their company-relevant job descriptions.

Machinist Overview

For Machinists, analyzing the job descriptions provided validated many of the Top Skills identified by Lightcast™. A Machinist is responsible for setting up, operating, and maintaining a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments. Machinists work from blueprints, sketches, or computer-aided design (CAD) files to produce intricate parts that meet strict specifications. This requires specific technical knowledge of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining, lathes, mills, calibers, and blueprinting. Durable, non-function-specific, skills include attention to detail, following instructions, math, lifting, English, and mechanical aptitude.

What we learned directly from employers is the specifics for how these skills will be applied. Employers focused heavily on being able to maintain a safe work environment and operate CNC machines safely, the ability to perform visual measurements against customer specifications (control plan), and the need to be on your feet continuously. No previous experience is required, and applicants can qualify with a GED or high school diploma.

At the mid- and senior levels, the complexity of responsibilities increases and additional experience, training, and certification is required. This includes familiarity with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standards, completion of a Certified Operation Program, and at the senior levels an Associates Degree or Technical Certification is a plus.

Quality Inspector Overview

A Quality Inspector in manufacturing is responsible for ensuring that products meet predefined standards and specifications. This role is critical for maintaining product quality, safety, and consistency in the manufacturing process. The Top Skills in Lightcast™ were highly aligned with the job descriptions provided, confirming the need for auditing, quality management, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and process improvement as well as the ability to work with hand tools, machinery, and calipers. Durable skills include management, communication, customer service, problem solving, detail orientation, quality assurance and control, and lifting ability. 

Employers focused heavily on safety on site as well as ensuring each product is built to safety and customer specifications, so visual quality inspection or production/assembly experience is helpful. The ability to perform technical writing to support report outs on quality of products is required, making proficiency in MS Office Word, PowerPoint, and Excel and knowledge of GD&T practices and reading of blueprints requirements as well.

While basic working knowledge of inspection equipment and techniques is required at entry level, mid- and senior levels look for knowledge of industry quality standards (IPC, ISO Certification, AQL/ASQ Certification), more complex root cause analysis capabilities, and stronger leadership skills.

Manufacturing Engineer Overview

A Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and improving manufacturing processes to ensure efficient production of high-quality products. From initial design to final product, they focus on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality. Comparing job descriptions provided with Lightcast™ data showed general alignment in Lightcast™ Top Common Skills (i.e. Communication, Operations, Planning) and Top Software Skills, some gaps in Top Skills, and general inconsistency in the list of Top Qualifications. The analysis also showed the role titles employers shared for this work did not appear in the Lightcast™ report. This tells us some further discussion round the specifics of the job description and responsibilities is required.

What we learned from employers is the importance of collaboration and communication cross-functionally and with customers to resolve issues, ensure designs meet customer needs, and support production processes. Relationship management is also critical with suppliers to ensure quality standards are met and timely project completion. It is a data-driven role, requiring establishment of key metrics, benchmarking, and monitoring to identify and prioritize process improvements. Safety is of utmost importance for this role as well. 

A Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field preferred for entry level roles, though there is some openness to accepting an Associate’s degree or relevant industry experience instead. Advanced roles look for an advanced degree, along with Supervisory experience.

Entry level requires a minimum 1-3 years’ relevant experience in engineering, product design, or manufacturing, preferably in a machining/metal cutting environment. This goes up to 2-5 years for-mid level and 5-7 years for senior roles. Hands-on experience is a plus, as are familiarity with Printed Circuit Board (PCB) production and basic experience in CNC programming and numerical control code (e.g., Fanuc, Okuma OSP). 

Education Program Completion Data

We used Lightcast™™ to research which educational programs in the Denver Metro Area currently train for the critical roles. This was done by role name and, in the cases of Machinist and Quality Inspector, SOC Codes found in Lightcast™. Summary data by institution is below. Detailed Job > SOC Code > CIP Code mapping can be found here. A deeper look into the curricula and validation from employers on SOC Codes are required.

Machinist Education Pipeline (Lightcast™ 2023): 242 Program Completions

4 Metro Area Institutions:

1. Red Rocks Community College (148)
2. Front Range Community College (78)
3. Pickens Technical College (11)
4. Community College of Denver (5)

Quality Inspector Education Pipeline (Lightcast™ 2023): 37 Program Completions

1 Metro Area Institution:

1. Metropolitan State University (37)

Manufacturing Engineer Education Pipeline (Lightcast™ 2023): 1640 Completions

7 Metro Area Institutions:

1. University of Colorado Boulder (658)
2. Colorado Schools of Mines (545)
3. University of Colorado Denver /Anschutz Medical Campus (147)
4. University of Denver (59)
5. Metropolitan State University (15)
6. Red Rocks Community College (5)
7. Front Range Community College (4)

Supply-Demand Analysis

Pulling it all together, we know there are 350 projected openings across six employers, which we extrapolate to indicate a much greater total regional demand across the hundreds of employers competing than the 2,796 Lightcast™ projects across the Metro Area. 

Lightcast™ shows 1919 completions at Metro Area institutions for all three critical roles, leaving us short 877 completions. In addition, we know in many cases people who complete these programs consider a variety of roles and industries, making the competition great both internally and externally. More information about the breakdown of the program completions and their alignment with the critical roles is needed.

Initial Machinist Talent Strategy Established

The current cohort of employers had minimal referral partners outside of typical agency and posting methods. To increase the depth of the talent pool, training more people will be required. Employers and partners selected the America’s Cutting Edge Curriculum, which has been successfully implemented in other states. 

MOU agreements are in process between Red Rocks Community College (RRCC) and Warren Tech to offer Machinist Boot Camps. RRCC already offers Machinist programs that the technical high schools can leverage to add adult night classes, growing the programs by a total of 200 seats. Once the MOUs are signed, we will strategize on how to help the programs reach capacity.

Key Takeaways

• Perception is more of a concern than general awareness. A culture shift is required to move people away from the old days of “dirty, dusty, and dangerous” to the reality of today’s manufacturing environments which are computer-driven, and can require a lot of responsibility.
• Skills gap is not just for entry level, but with the aging workforce in this industry, it is hard to replace the knowledge and experience of someone who’s been there “42 years.”
• Younger employees are looking for career pathing and clear progression pathways but the industry has historically promoted based on tenure.
• Information gaps exist throughout the ecosystem:
  • Students / parents don’t know what the profession is really like and the growth and financial potential
  • Workforce centers don’t know which programs are doing the right skills training or how to help connect individuals to employers seeking these skills 
  • Employers don’t know the full scope of where to find talent outside of their go-to’s

Next Steps

On May 8, 2025 we reconvened the participating employers in the TPM cohort to determine direction based on need, interest, and capacity. The employers were excited about the progress that has been made and the development of the Machinist Boot Camp. They have decided to focus time and energy on continuing to build the Machinist pipeline through at least the end of the year.

Specifically, employers will be diving into where they currently find their talent, where their top quality talent comes from, and their internal career pathing for those roles.