By Jon Huang
On Nov 7, the Pikes Peak Workforce Center hosted its annual veterans and community job fair at the Colorado Springs Event Center. While the recent snowstorms put a damper on the more than 170 employers registered to attend, there was still at least half that showed up. Last year’s event brought in more than 1,000 job seekers; this year, it was closer to 500.
Among those present were school districts looking for teachers and facility workers. Garden of the Gods Resort and Club was recruiting folks into the hospitality sector; police departments from Loveland to Pueblo were set up a couple aisles down. The Colorado Department of Corrections manned a booth close to the U.S. Border Patrol booth. The FBI was apparently a weather casualty.
I asked one of the border officers working in Texas about his favorite part of the job. “Riding ATVs and flying drones,” he said, in line with the promotional video action scenes playing behind him.
MTech Mechanical provides plumbing, HVAC, pipefitting and sheet metal services along the Front Range with a site in Colorado Springs. They were promoting their paid apprenticeship program, open to those completing high school with hourly pay starting at $20. In addition to hands-on training, the program covers fees for certifications and additional education.
A representative from Encore Electric, which provides electrician services throughout Colorado, said the demand in the trades has significantly grown in recent years. Encore’s projects have included the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Center of the Arts, the Pikes Peak Summit House and the new U.S. Olympic Museum in downtown Colorado Springs.
Timberline Landscaping in Colorado Springs was looking for workers. The recruiter said they’re always needing folks. He said they use the H2B visa program that allows American companies to employ unnaturalized immigrants. The visa program is a lottery system, capped at 66,000 workers per fiscal year. Many of the Mexicans they employ from the program are hard-working, responsible and self-police themselves when it comes to recruiting others. Many are working toward their green card. The company has developed close relationships with many of their workers so much so that the company has helped build playgrounds in workers’ hometowns in Mexico.
Rocky Mountain PACE is a local nonprofit that provides all-inclusive medical care for the elderly in the El Paso County region. While they currently do not cover the Falcon zip code, they do provide services to the Black Forest area. They provide primary care physicians, physical therapy, case management, home health services and adult day care. Patients must be 55 and older and Medicaid-eligible to qualify for the services.
Traci Marques, director and chief executive officer of the PPWFC, said every county in the nation is required to have a job workforce center, which is federally funded. They report to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Colorado Department of Labor. PPWFC’s main office is in Colorado Springs inside the Citizen Service Center. They have satellite locations in Woodland Park and Cripple Creek.
“People ask all the time, what do you do?” Marques said.
She compared their role to a matchmaker, helping job seekers and employers find one another.
“We’re congressionally mandated and dictated to really help people, businesses find the talent that they need and help develop talent pipelines within our region,” Marques said.
She said the center’s budget of $9 million is primarily used to help the hard-to-serve population find sustainable employment and livable wages. However, the center has helped those with a doctorate or other advanced degrees as well.
According to Marques data, El Paso County has a 4% unemployment rate; and, for every one job opening there are .75 people in the county to fill it, indicating a shortage of people to meet the current labor demands. She said the industries of highest need are currently in manufacturing, health care, internet technology, cybersecurity, financial services and business.
“Our philosophy is we meet people where they are, not where we think they should be,” she said.
Marques said PPWFC contributes $33 million to the local economy; on average, those who work with them earn $12,000 more than someone who does not work for them. In addition to their large annual fair, the center hosts monthly fairs, which include more than 20 employers at each event, the first Wednesday of every month in their main office.
The PPWFC hosts regular virtual workshops throughout the year, attracting more than 2,000 yearly participants. Topics include resumes, interviewing, changing careers, job searching after losing a job, apprenticeships, salary research and negotiation and overcoming ageism. In addition, the center does in-person meetings and coordinates industry partnership meetings for companies to discuss current workforce needs.
The center also has programs specifically geared to help veterans and justice-involved citizens (criminals, ex-criminals/felons). They have programs that assist with transportation, job training and certifications, and they have grants that help small businesses fund employee training. Case managers can visit people with mobility issues or meet them at public places like Walmart. The office’s physical location has computers with internet access and direct phone lines to the unemployment office for those struggling to navigate the system.
“For some people, losing their job is akin to losing their identity. It is not uncommon for people to change careers four to five times over their lifetime.”
– Becky Tonn, communications manager for the Pikes Peak Workforce Center
Becky Tonn, PPWFC’s communications manager, said that for some people, losing their job is akin to losing their identity. It is not uncommon for people to change careers four to five times over their lifetime.
“Most of us at some point in our lives have lost a job,” she said. “We’re taking people at the worst time of their lives and helping them get back (on their feet).”
Marques said successfully connecting businesses and employees is a team effort. It takes community collaboration with their office, schools, veterans’ organizations and local businesses.
“All of us are spokes in the wheel of getting job seekers and businesses the talent that they need,” she said. “All of us work together in our community to really help motivate and move the needle on workforce development.”
For additional information, visit Pikes Peak Workforce Center—https://ppwfc.org/
