Industry Requested Trainings
Working directly with local employers and partners, we support trainings for needed credentials, including broadband, CDL and NCCER certifications, so workers gain qualifications tied to real, available jobs.
Overview
The curriculum
There is significant demand in our region for industry-requested training programs, yet the space to host these events remains limited and expensive.
The Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation has successfully hosted four CDL Training opportunities. Each one-day course included classroom instruction, behind-the-wheel training, and a driving skills test. At $5,000, the course was priced at the industry standard, but that cost proved prohibitive for many workers seeking to upskill. To address this barrier, the CDC offered tuition assistance of up to $4,000. The program has been a resounding success, with 20 students earning their CDL licenses.
Demand also emerged for a "Broadband 101" course combining classroom instruction with hands-on, on-the-job experience. Thirty-eight students enrolled and more than a dozen of those graduates are now employed in the broadband and fiber industry which will have a lasting impact on our community: installing and maintaining fiber-optic infrastructure will drive economic growth in our region for the foreseeable future.
Wildland fire training has similarly seen strong demand. Participants who complete the course earn three college credits and become prepared to pursue entry-level wildland firefighter and fire behavior certifications — credentials that can launch a career as a junior wildland firefighter or frontline fire crew member. Unfortunately, the closest course is more than 85 miles away, and the time and travel is cost-prohibitive for most locals.
Once our Regional Workforce Center is constructed, Build Pagosa plans to offer these trainings and more.
Register your interest
Register your interestFrequently Asked Questions
Which credentials can I train for?
Broadband, CDL and NCCER certifications are among them. The list is not fixed, because it comes from the credentials local employers tell us they need most.
Who decides which trainings run?
Local employers do. We work directly with them so that every qualification is tied to a real, available job rather than to a course catalog.
How does this connect to the Regional Workforce Center?
The Regional Workforce Center is being built to give job seekers hands-on training and industry-recognized credentials that lead directly to well-paying jobs. Industry requested trainings work to the same brief, and the Center is where that training will eventually live, with adult learners able to access industry-driven training and certification there at nights and weekends.
How do I ask for a training?
Tell us which credential you or your team needs. Employers and workers both start in the same place, and we will come back to you when a course is scheduled.
Help us build a better future
Your support goes toward training space, equipment and credentials for people who want to build a career without leaving the region.
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Build Pagosa runs on people showing up, employers offering placements, tradespeople teaching a session, neighbors giving what they can. Here are the easiest ways in.
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