CareerWise Colorado and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce are partnering to provide 100 modern youth apprenticeship opportunities with Chamber members in 2020.
“Innovating our talent pipelines is a stated objective in Denver,” said Noel Ginsburg, CareerWise CEO. “Workforce innovation starts with the Chamber. The membership is already leading the way on a number of development and advocacy issues. With this partnership we hope to harness that leadership and supercharge the momentum we’ve been building around youth apprenticeship since we launched three years ago.”
To facilitate the implementation of apprenticeships among member employers, the Chamber has hired Sammy Smith as a dedicated partnership manager. Trained by CareerWise, Smith will be officed at the Chamber and serve as the primary point of contact for members interested in learning more about how to develop talent pipelines for the great jobs they are creating.
“CareerWise is bringing together our companies and our youth to create more pathways to meaningful careers — that’s a win-win,” said Kelly Brough, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. “We have to make a systemic change in our educational system where we recognize that earning while we are learning is a powerful way to meet our future workforce needs. We are proud to partner with CareerWise to create more apprenticeship opportunities and great careers for Coloradans.”
CareerWise apprentices are onsite with more than 100 companies in modern job functions such as financial services, business operations and IT. Apprenticeship is a work-based learning model that is prepares workers to step into full-time roles by having them perform meaningful, productive work and completing related classroom instruction.
“Apprenticeship is more than an internship—it’s not learning through exposure to work, it’s learning through work. And because of that, there is real value in creating these positions for employers,” Ginsburg said. “It’s not philanthropy; it’s smart business.”
Are you a business interested in an apprenticeship opportunity? Contact Sammy Smith at sammy.smith@denverchamber.org or 303-620-8050.