Over the last few years, Colorado has taken major steps to ensure that every student in Colorado graduates with the skills and credentials they need to be postsecondary and workforce-ready. However, existing gaps remain between providing all students with meaningful opportunities to engage in work-based learning opportunities while in school. Youth-based apprenticeships that expose students to soft skills and on-the-job learning can result in an industry-recognized credential and job readiness upon graduation. Today, there remain two available jobs for every Coloradoan, highlighting the importance of investing in new training pathways that can help Coloradoans build skills that will lead to good-paying jobs.
Youth-based apprenticeships serve as an innovative model to further strengthen our workforce pipeline as the state of Colorado continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on students, families, and industry. However, as of March 2023, only .02% of the apprentices in Colorado are under 18. That means high school students are severely underrepresented in a workforce development model with proven positive outcomes. This grant is designed to support the expansion of youth-based apprenticeship models for high school students across the state in order to scale this earn-and-learn model, particularly for the student populations with limited access to work-based learning opportunities.
The Colorado Office of Governor will accept applications for grants for up to $550,000 from the Response, Innovation, and Student Equity (RISE) Education fund, sponsored through the federal reverted Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds, to build, expand, or scale evidence-based youth-based apprenticeship models across the state. Applicants can pursue awards between $150,000 and $300,000, depending on the size of the applicant, number of youth served, and quality of the application.
Contact Information
Please contact GEER.Reimbursements@state.co.us with any questions or contact the following staff listed below.
Tammi Hiler, Special Advisor for Early Childhood & Education | tammi.hiler@state.co.us
Winners
Round One RISE Grant Winners
Governor Polis announced the recipients of round one on November 10. The winners include Fort Lewis College, Lake County School District, Academy of Advanced Learning and Coperni 2&3, University of Northern Colorado, Peyton School District, Silverton School Districts, Elizabeth School District, Montrose County School District RE-1J, Centennial School District R-1, Clear Creek School District, Charter School Institute, Metro State University of Denver, and Centennial BOCES.
Read more details on the round one winners. Congratulations!
Round Two Rise Grant Winners
Governor Polis announced the recipients of round two on January 25. The winners include St. Vrain Valley Schools, Plateau Valley High School, Adams State University, Hayden School District, Montezuma Cortez School District RE-1, Northeastern Junior College, West Grand School District, Bennett School District 29J, Academy 360 Charter School, Charter School Innovation Consortium, Campo School District RE-6, Colorado Mountain College, Park County School District RE-2, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Adams County School District 14, Cripple Creek-Victor School District,New Legacy Charter School, Santa Fe Trail BOCES, and Pueblo Community College.
Read more details on the round two winners. Congratulations!
Round Three Rise Grant Turnaround Winners
Governor Polis announced the recipients of round three on October 18. The winners include Adams 14 School District in Adams County, Boys & Girls Club in Denver, Lake County School District in Lake County, Pueblo School District 60 in Pueblo, South Central Boces in Pueblo, Stedman Elementary in Denver, Strive Prep - SMART in Denver, University Prep Charter School in Denver, Vista Charter School in Montrose.
Read more details on the round three winners. Congratulations!
Round Four Rise Youth Apprenticeship Winners
Colorado River BOCES, Neurodiversity Works, Poudre School District, CareerWise, St. Vrain Valley School District, and the Morgan County Economic Development Corporation, Cherry Creek School District, Colorado Restaurant Foundation
Read more details on the round four winners. Congratulations!
Applicant Resources
- RISE Youth Apprenticeship Grant Application
- RISE Youth Apprenticeship Scoring Rubric
- Frequently Asked Questions.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include:
- A public local educational provider (LEPs). Public LEPs are defined as:
- School District;
- Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES);
- Charter schools authorized by a School District or BOCES;
- Charter schools authorized by the Charter School Institute;
- Charter Management Organizations (CMOs)
- Education-related entities* that place students at public LEPs in youth-based apprenticeship opportunities;
- Federally-recognized Tribes; and
- Consortia of such entities
- Non-profit or community-based organizations with a demonstrated history of placing students in youth-based apprenticeships. Applicants in this category must collaborate with other public and/or private agencies, such as the LEP, to create programs as comprehensive and high quality as possible.
*An education-related entity is a governmental, nonprofit or for-profit entity within the State that provides services that support preschool, elementary, secondary, or higher education.
Note: applications will not be accepted from individual schools. LEAs can apply on behalf of one or more schools located within their district, which can include charter school. The authorized representative and fiscal agent for the grant must be representatives of the LEA or BOCES. The school must work with their authorizer to apply for funds and the school’s authorizer will be the fiscal agent, if funded.
Other organizations may partner with an eligible applicant, including:
- Early childhood providers
- Local government entities
- Employers or workforce partners
- For-profit companies
Priority will be given to proposals that:
- Focus on high-growth, high-need industries;
- Work with underrepresented student populations, including low-income students, students of color, English language learners, or students with disabilities;
- Serve rural or small rural communities;
- If a school district or charter school, have or add Career Development Incentive Program (CDIP) as a graduation requirement
Key Dates
Funds are anticipated to be awarded in one additional round:
- Grant Application Deadline: December 4, 2023 at 5pm MT / Approved Application Notification Date: December 11, 2023
- Applicants should submit their applications in PDF format via email to GEER.Reimbursements@state.co.us.
- Please include “RISE Turnaround Grant Application” in the subject line of your email.
Funds are available for use from the grant agreement date by September 30, 2024.