Connecting Rural Communities to Higher Education Pathways

Connecting rural communities to higher education and industry certification pathways is critical to economic development and sustainability. It is also a vital component to workforce attraction and retention in rural communities across the country. Our county is in the western slope of Colorado encompassing 1,800 square miles driven by tourism industries such as Winter Park ski resort. In Grand County, currently there are very few organized avenues or opportunities for residents to access higher education or industry certification training programs. Multiple years of feedback data from businesses, non-profits, chambers of commerce, public school systems, residents and city/county officials have identified, as a major deficit, limited local access to continuing education and workforce training opportunities. The physical size, geography, and the weather conditions limit the ability of residents to travel outside of the county to access continuing education opportunities. In addition to these limiting factors, most of the existing workforce must balance a work or career with access to continuing education that fits within their work commitments. Enter Grand County Higher Education. 

Read more about how Grand County Higher Education is addressing this need in Grand County, Colorado.

https://scottspringston.com/2017/03/connecting-rural-communities-higher-education/