Colorado State Plan

Workplace Gender Balance Project


Real Choices for Career Success

Workplace Gender Balance Project

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The purpose of the Workplace Gender Balance Project, launched by the Colorado Community College System in early 2009, is to help women and men choose skilled careers that are:

  • a good personal fit,
  • meet the needs for skilled employment in Colorado,
  • and break through traditional gender stereotypes.
  Gunsmithing
 

Yvette Gonzalez has proven that women can excel at gunsmithing.

 

The outcome of the project is to develop a new pool of skilled and motivated workers that can enhance the competitiveness of Colorado’s employers, and also help meet the program accountability objectives of the federal Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Improvement Act. Through the activities of this effort, community colleges, technical colleges, secondary schools, and even correctional facilities will develop effective approaches to assist men and women to learn about and to prepare for careers that fit their interests, economic needs, aptitudes, as well as to meet current workforce demands.
The goal of this project is that from 2009-2014, the current decreasing trend of post-secondary CTE “non-traditional” participation will be reversed and continuously increase.  Additionally, non-traditional participants will complete the CTE program and achieve at the same rate as that of participants in all other CTE programs.

 

Our Belief

We believe that all levels of American society and business will benefit by having a better balance of men and women in the U.S. workplace. With the entrance of women into the workplace over the last forty years, many workplaces have already become fully integrated and women and men operate on a peer-to-peer basis.  And while some occupations have been slower to become integrated, it has been proven that progress is possible. The beginning of this process is to create a positive message about balance in the workplace, and to encourage and support Coloradans who enter education and training programs that still need to achieve balance in the workplace.


Strategic Goal

The goal is to directly impact practices and expectations within career and technical education (CTE) programs operated in the Colorado community colleges, technical colleges, and correctional facilities and to indirectly influence the perceptions and expectations of potential students and employers.
Working together, all CCCS student support services will work to impartially educate and encourage men and women on all career choices.  These individuals will be encouraged to make a well-informed career and educational choice, and to strongly consider skilled employment in occupations that might be considered a non-traditional choice for their gender.

There are five strategic objectives for the Workplace Gender Balance Project

  • Create a compelling message and implement a communication plan
  • Build buy-in and commitment from college leadership, student support services staff and faculty, and other stakeholders
  • Support non-traditional students to succeed
  • Engage employers, employer groups and other stakeholders to change the workplace culture
  • Keep score to measure progress
 

Calendar of Events
June 2012 Workplace Gender Balance Mini-Grant Bidder's Conference
August 2012 Mini-Grant Proposal Submission
September 2012 Workplace Gender Balance Mini-Grant Reader's Conference
September 2012 Mini-Grant Awards
November 2012 Mini-Grant Visits

 

Contact Information

Lauren Jones
Colorado Community College System
9101 E Lowry Blvd
Denver, CO  80230
Phone: 720-858-2825
Email: lauren.jones@cccs.edu


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