Welcome Back!

A new school year is underway, and we’re excited for another year of connecting students to the people, experiences, and opportunities that help them imagine what comes next. From career exploration and work-based learning to credentials, dual enrollment, and partnerships with local employers, the Collaborative is working alongside schools and our community to make career pathways more visible and accessible for students across Southwest Colorado.

Here’s to a great year of expanding possibilities!

Letter from the Executive Director

September is Workforce Development Month, a time to recognize the people, organizations, and partnerships building a strong workforce for our communities. For us at the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative, it’s also a reminder that workforce development doesn’t start when someone enters the workforce. It starts much earlier.

It starts when a middle school student discovers a career they didn’t know existed. It starts when a high school student enters the workforce, earns an industry credential, completes an internship, or connects classroom learning to a real career. It starts when young people can see a future for themselves in the community where they live.

That is where our work comes in.

The Collaborative focuses on building those early connections and helping students explore careers, develop skills, gain real-world experiences, and understand the pathways that can take them from high school to postsecondary education and, ultimately, into meaningful careers. None of this happens alone. It takes schools, educators, employers, higher education, nonprofits, and community partners working together to create opportunities that no one organization could provide on its own.

As we begin a new school year, we’re grateful for the many partners who continue to invest in our students and in the future of Southwest Colorado. The workforce of tomorrow is sitting in our classrooms today, and our work is helping them see what’s possible.

• Patrick Fredricks, Executive Director

Save the Date & Register: Futures Fairs

We’re excited to bring our Futures Fairs back this school year! These interactive career exploration events connect students with local businesses, nonprofits, higher education, and community organizations to help them discover what’s possible beyond the classroom.

Registration Is Open!

Are you an industry, nonprofit, or higher education partner? We’d love to have you join us! Bring an interactive activity, hands-on demonstration, or conversation that helps students learn more about your field.

Whether you're a returning partner or joining us for the first time, your involvement helps students see the many possibilities available right here in Southwest Colorado.

Montezuma-Dolores Futures Fair

• Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2026

• Time: 8:00am-12:00pm

• Location: Montezuma County Fairgrounds

• Register to Participate

La Plata Futures Fair

• Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2027

• Time: 8:00am-12:00pm

• Location: La Plata County Fairgrounds

• Register to Participate

Interested in supporting the Futures Fair? Sponsorship opportunities are available to help us provide meaningful career exploration experiences for students across Southwest Colorado. Reach out to learn more.

Student Perspective: Summer Institute Impact

What happens when students get to step outside the classroom and experience a career firsthand? This summer, students from across Southwest Colorado explored careers in healthcare, environmental science, and the skilled trades through our Summer Institutes. They toured workplaces, learned from local professionals, tried new skills, and got a closer look at what a future career could look like.

But don’t just take our word for it—hear directly from the students who experienced it.

Watch our Summer Institute Student Perspective video to hear what students learned, what surprised them, and how these experiences shaped the way they think about their futures.

This summer, we partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County to give middle school students a firsthand look at careers in their own community.

The Collaborative coordinated a series of career field trips, while Boys & Girls Club staff brought students along for each experience. Students visited Outpost Campers, CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital, iAM Music, the La Plata County Courthouse, StoneAge, and Mountain Studies Institute, meeting local professionals and learning what it takes to work in a variety of fields. While many of these partners fall into our pathways, students also expressed interest in other areas, and we made sure to set up those opportunities as well, building new relationships for further collaboration down the road.

These experiences help students make connections between what they’re learning today and the possibilities that exist in their own backyard.

We’re excited to share that the Collaborative received new grant support this summer from the Denver Broncos Foundation, La Plata County, Waste Management, and the Ballantine Family Foundation.

This funding helps us continue expanding career exploration, work-based learning, and postsecondary readiness opportunities for students across Southwest Colorado.

We’re grateful to these partners for investing in students and in the future of our region. Their support helps turn more possibilities into real experiences for students.

This summer brought some meaningful changes to the Collaborative’s Board of Directors as we celebrated the service of two longtime members and welcomed four new voices to the table.

After more than five years of service, Dr. Karen Cheser has rolled off the Board. Karen has been a thoughtful and dedicated leader for the Collaborative, and we’re incredibly grateful for the time, expertise, and commitment she has shared with us. Her creativity, enthusiasm, and commitment to all students have transformed our region for the better.

We’re also celebrating Dr. Kevin Aten, who has stepped away after two separate terms of service on our Board. Kevin was one of the original superintendents at the table when the vision for the Collaborative first began to take shape. His willingness to help build the Collaborative from the very beginning has left a lasting mark on our work. We’re thankful for his leadership and continued belief in the power of regional collaboration.

As we look ahead, we’re excited to welcome four new Board members:

• Lisa Molina, Vice President of Pueblo Community College Southwest

• Bill Hesford, Assistant Superintendent, Bayfield School District

• Dr. Tiece Ruffin, Dean of the School of Education, Fort Lewis College

• Alesa Reed, Superintendent, Dolores School District

Together, this group brings experience across higher education, K–12 leadership, educator preparation, and rural communities to strengthen the Collaborative as we continue building meaningful pathways from education to careers across Southwest Colorado.