Careerwise Colorado

Careerwise is a pioneering nonprofit that catalyzes the development of business-led, modern youth apprenticeship programs and systems in communities, regions and states across the country. In just seven years, Careerwise has not only successfully launched and grown a coalition of businesses and schools in its flagship location of Colorado who are redefining apprenticeship for the 21st century by implementing the model, but Careerwise has also built the capacity to consult with and support other communities looking to do the same. Careerwise tools, technologies and processes, built and refined in Colorado, are now being leveraged by a growing national network of partner initiatives seeking to close the gap between education and employment to enable more equitable economic and educational outcomes. Combining paid, on-the-job training with continued classroom education at secondary and postsecondary institutions, Careerwise's modern youth apprenticeships provide benefit to employers, students and society alike. Successful apprentices are equipped to succeed in career and/or college, widening the door to opportunity by multiplying their options and cultivating a more skilled workforce for a quickly changing economy. Careerwise is honored to have bloomberg philanthropies, the bill & melinda gates foundation, the chicago community foundation, iconiq impact education & economic mobility co-lab, and the united states department of labor among national funders who have supported the piloting of modern youth apprenticeship in the united states by investing in Careerwise's system. With additional support from local funders including the daniels fund, the beacon fund, the Colorado health foundation, zoma foundation and the state of Colorado, the organization has garnered significant philanthropic and government investment in recognition of its status as a field-building innovator. Careerwise's locally implemented programs broker formal relationships between businesses and students and the schools where they learn, including both k-12 institutions and institutions of higher education. Moreover, Careerwise's national team also coordinates between those local programs, which comprise a growing nationwide network of leaders seeking to identify and capture best practices for scale and impact. As a recipient of federal funding, Careerwise also plays a leadership role in helping grow and modernize the u.s. Registered apprenticeship system by serving younger, more diverse populations of apprentices who work in modern industry. Careerwise continues to receive notable attention from leading research institutes and policymakers. In 2023, Careerwise Colorado focused not only on growing the footprint of Careerwise youth apprenticeship but also on seeding aligned work across the state, including a pathbreaking teaching degree apprenticeship. Additionally, Careerwise new york continued to build on momentum generated from the launch of its career readiness and modern youth apprenticeship program which rapidly scaled each element of its work in colaboration with 58 public high schools across the city.