Colorado stands at a critical economic crossroads. Our beautiful state faces both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges in developing our future workforce.
The data tell a compelling story: According to 2024 Georgetown University projections, by 2031, 72% of jobs will require some form of postsecondary education or training. These are high-skill, high-wage positions in health care, technology, advanced manufacturing and STEM fields.
At the same time, colleges are facing the “demographic cliff” — the long-anticipated drop in high school graduates starting in spring 2026. This falling birth rate, which began during the Great Recession in 2007, coincides with critical increases in baby boomer retirements. According to the January 2025 Hechinger Report, this isn’t just problematic for universities — it’s a looming economic crisis, with fewer graduates filling jobs requiring college education.
Historically, Colorado has relied on talent immigration — educated professionals moving here from other states. That pipeline is no longer sufficient. In-migration alone cannot meet our workforce needs, and recent federal policies could impact international immigration gains.
Meanwhile, our state’s fastest-growing demographic is our Hispanic population. These young people filling our K-12 schools today will power our economy tomorrow. We cannot meet our projected workforce needs focusing only on students who have traditionally enrolled in college — there simply aren’t enough of them.
Too often, when discussing educational access for students of color, first-generation students or those from low-income backgrounds, the narrative becomes one of charity — as if we’re doing them a favor by “allowing” them into our institutions. This perspective is not just wrong; it’s backward. We need them more than they need us.
Colorado’s future economic competitiveness, quality of life, healthcare systems and technological innovation all depend on our ability to educate and prepare all our students for tomorrow’s high-skill economy. Without full participation of our Latino students, first-generation students and historically underrepresented students, Colorado simply cannot thrive.
The Common Sense Institute of Colorado reports that if our current native-born workforce matched employers’ future demand, each of the 79,000 additional workers with postsecondary attainment would earn an extra $27,220 on average. That’s over $2 billion more in wages and nearly $3 billion added to the state’s GDP.
Despite increased wages, Colorado jobs go unfilled because we lack enough trained workers. Healthcare facilities can’t find nurses. Tech companies struggle to hire developers. Advanced manufacturing companies and homebuilders can’t recruit skilled technicians and tradespeople. These are good jobs that provide livable wages, build communities and create prosperity.
When we support programs helping Latino students, first-generation students and low-income students succeed in college, we’re investing in Colorado’s future. We’re ensuring our exceptional state remains exceptional for generations.
At our community colleges across Colorado, we see this potential daily. We see first-generation students working multiple jobs while studying, overcoming language barriers, navigating unfamiliar systems — and succeeding brilliantly.
But we also see barriers. Students who are academically capable but financially challenged. Students juggling family responsibilities with educational aspirations. Students who don’t believe they belong in college because no one in their family has gone.
Future workers and leaders are already here, but they need education. Talent is equally distributed throughout all communities and ethnic groups, but, while talent is universal, opportunity is not.
The Colorado Community College System is strategically positioned to bridge this gap between talent and opportunity. Our campuses provide accessible, affordable pathways to high-demand careers. We operate efficiently, keep costs and tuition low, and leverage donor support, community partnerships and scholarships to make education financially accessible. Most importantly, we reinforce students’ belief in their own potential.
The investment we make in these students isn’t altruism — it is strategic investment in our shared future, with dividends benefiting us all. It recognizes that Colorado’s prosperity depends on developing talent from within our communities, not just importing it.
Our task is dramatically increasing educational attainment among historically underrepresented populations. This requires removing barriers, creating supportive environments, providing adequate financial aid and building clear pathways from education to employment.
We have determination, a unified purpose in building a Colorado where opportunity is accessible to all, and knowledge that our future depends on our success.
Let’s recognize that Colorado’s exceptional quality of life, innovative economy and vibrant communities depend on finding and developing talent from all corners. Let’s commit to investing in educational opportunities not from charity, but from enlightened self-interest in our shared future.
And let’s send a clear message to our students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education: We need you. Your communities need you. Colorado needs you. Our shared future depends on your success.
Joe Garcia, of Colorado Springs, is the chancellor of the Colorado Community College System and is retiring June 30 after more than 25 years in higher education. He previously served as lieutenant governor under Gov. John Hickenlooper.
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