As part of its participation in the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge, on April 17-18, Lyra hosted a design sprint and site visit with Jobs for the Future (JFF) that brought together 30 participants from diverse organizations, including the Colorado Workforce Development Council, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Colorado Succeeds, and representatives from local governments and education sectors such as the Colorado Energy Office and Resiliency Office, Eagle County Schools, Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative, Yampa Valley Partnership for Students, Stewardship and Sustainability, and the Colorado Community College System.
The goal was to develop a shared understanding of the risks, challenges, and opportunities for advancing sustainable and equitable green job opportunities, integrating green skills in rural trades, and creating actionable strategies that are meaningful for rural communities across the state.
One highlight in the discussion was how college and career connected education pathways around quality green careers are turning Colorado’s communities into productive learning environments, addressing the increasing demand for green skills. Over the two days, leaders in attendance shared ideas, and explored ways to improve access to green jobs and career opportunities for students across the state.
Starting With a Shared Definition of Quality Green Jobs
On the first day, attendees collaborated to develop a framework for defining quality green jobs. This framework covers both technical skills—such as those related to clean technologies and sustainability—and soft skills, like problem-solving and adaptability. Participants generally agreed that the state needs a broad, inclusive green jobs definition that can be adapted to communities’ needs. However, a list of specific industries and occupations to prioritize based on industry feedback and state and local data is also needed. This helps to make green jobs locally relevant and relatable to rural communities like the ones Lyra works with.
Definitions of green skills are an ongoing conversation that must be industry-verified and data informed. With these skills identified, they can help to guide K-12 educators in the development of education pathways that prepare students for the skills of the future.
“If we want rural students and communities to engage, we have to make the connection between green skills and high wages,” stated a participant during the Rural Intermediaries Meeting, highlighting the need for quality education in these regions.
When developing a framework to improve education and career infrastructure, challenges are often complex and vary by region. Factors such as location, resource availability, and economic differences play a role in shaping access to green jobs. Recognizing this, the leaders involved in the sprint represented a diverse range of organizations, ensuring an approach to address these challenges with a variety of perspectives.
On the second day, the Lyra team and JFF traveled to Breckenridge, CO. Lyra and JFF presented insights from the Statewide Stakeholder Design Sprint and sought input from rural intermediaries. The collaborative discussed the risks, challenges, and opportunities for integrating green skills into rural skilled trades.
The “greening” of the economy presents unique opportunities and risks for Colorado’s rural communities. Opportunities include green entrepreneurship as a wealth-building strategy for rural youth and the reintegration ofng skills-training can serve as a strategy for student engagement and retention, especially for at-risk youth. However, there are also risks: rural districts often lack sufficient resources to support multiple green pathways, high schools are “initiative fatigued” and lack the capacity to roll out new programs, and the lack of diversity in existing CTE programs may fail to address the occupational segregation in the growing green economy.
Lasting Statewide Support
The JFF Design Sprint, hosted by Lyra, marks an important moment in defining Colorado's quality green jobs opportunity, and aligning the efforts at a state and local level to accelerate green workforce development across Colorado's school systems.
“The Design Sprint truly solidified the excitement and readiness that exists in Colorado for creating a green future,” said Elizabeth Harbaugh, Director of Climatarium at Lyra. “We engaged a diverse ecosystem of partners—from government, education, and beyond— who are deeply invested in creating opportunities for students, and ensuring that our state is a leader in the green transition. Our task is to focus on collaborating, rather than duplicating, so we can all move the needle on green workforce development together.”
Through work such as Climatarium’s rural hubs, and the new Seal of Climate Literacy, Lyra is building quality and accessible climate education pathways throughout Colorado. For more information, you can read the Elevate Rural Colorado report developed in partnership with Colorado Education Initiative, Colorado Succeeds, and Empower Schools. The report reflects on five years of partnership and growth in rural Colorado, highlighting the impact of investing in career-connected learning.
As a result of contributions in the Quality Green Jobs Regional Challenge, Lyra was selected for Phase II of the initiative, which builds on these efforts to connect K-12 pathways to emerging green careers. Read more about acceptance into the challenge here. This work is part of a larger effort to foster equitable green job access nationwide. Learn more about JFF’s regional site visits and the strategies being developed across the country here.
About Jobs for the Future
Jobs for the Future (JFF) is a national nonprofit that drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all.
Acknowledgment of Partners
Lyra thanks all the organizations who took part in this sprint.
Colorado Workforce Development Council
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Yampa Valley Sustainability Council
Colorado Community College System
Colorado Cleanrange Consortium
Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2)
Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce
SWCEC (Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative)
Yampa Valley Partnership for Students, Stewardship, and Sustainability (YVPS3)
Routt County Economic Development Partnership
Alliance for Collective Action
CASR (City and County of Denver's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency)
