Talent Innovation Office

Colorado is a resource rich state and its most vital resource is its people. Just as we cultivate our natural resources to make Colorado a more prosperous state, so too must we invest in and cultivate our citizens. Colorado must have a supply of skilled talent to attract and keep companies and jobs, these are key underpinnings of an effective economic development ecosystem. To be competitive in the global marketplace, Colorado businesses and industries require innovation to support quality, quantity and capacity associated with talent innovation.

With a focus on primary employers, OEDIT’s Talent Innovation/Opportunity Now team supports economic development programs and initiatives, including recruiting new companies and retaining existing companies in Colorado with an eye toward primary employers. Talented people with the skills to fill Colorado jobs are more important than ever. OEDIT’s talent innovation team performs the critical functions of ensuring business and industry leaders can tap into Colorado’s thriving talent. Residing in OEDIT enables the team to engage with employers early, attracting new businesses to the state and retaining primary employers across Colorado.

Talent Innovation Programs and Funding

Opportunity Next Scholarships

Opportunity Next Scholarships work to increase enrollment in Colorado-based postsecondary education and training programs, and prioritizes learners who pursue in-demand or high-priority pathways.

Opportunity Now Grants

Through Opportunity Now Colorado, we are investing in retaining our home-grown talent and ensuring Coloradans are trained in skills our industry and business partners need to recruit and retain talent to fill our jobs. By supporting new and growing partnerships between educational institutions, industry leaders, and employers that are developing the current and future workforce across Colorado. We help industry with skilled talent needs across all regions, incent collaboration between education and industry, and match Coloradans with in-demand jobs.

Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summits

The Opportunity Now Regional Talent Summits addresses workforce shortages by convening state and regional stakeholders to discuss economic and workforce needs, and the programs and resources that might address those regional needs. These industry-led discussions will ultimately result in tactical workforce plans that develop career pathways in specified fields facing regional workforce challenges.

Opportunity Now Tax Credit

The Opportunity Now Tax Credit encourages talent development in industries impacted by infrastructure, manufacturing and semiconductor talent shortages. This refundable tax credit provides financial assistance for facility and/or equipment acquisition costs, associated with on-the-job training to fill Colorado’s jobs. The total amount of credits is up to 50% of the estimated qualified asset.

Key Functions

Develop and implement Opportunity Now programs, including:
Operationalize talent strategies for private, state and federal funds, including compliance, applications, and proposals associated with business development activities, focusing on primary employers.
Capture and replicate best and promising practices at the intersection of economic development and talent innovation.
Focus on Colorado’s top 500 primary employers to retain in Colorado and identify/assist with talent needs in advanced industries.
Support OEDIT divisions through the promotion of Colorado’s skilled talent, promoting skills-based hiring for employers and fostering strategic relationships to advance Colorado’s talent competitiveness.
Work alongside OEDIT divisions to foster talent development, identify market gaps, and provide expertise to key programs within OEDIT, including retention and attraction efforts.
Work with primary employers and post secondary partners to ensure programming needs match employer’s talent needs, through supporting the reformation and marketing programs such as Skill Advance.
Collaborate with Business Funding and Incentives (BF&I) and Global Business Development (GBD) to engage businesses with advanced industry focus and acute workforce needs, such as:
- Aerospace/Defense
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Entrepreneurship
- Semiconductor
- Quantum
Innovative strategies to connect businesses with talent opportunities, such as talent pools, development supports, workforce planning, training partners, and data analytics