With an infusion of $50,000 in economic stimulus funds through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the Colorado Workforce Center and Colorado Mountain College have teamed up to offer new programs for job seekers in the region.

The regional director of the Colorado Workforce Center, Rosemary Pettus, said the programs are helping people retool for new careers, improve interviewing skills and learn how to be successful entrepreneurs. The workforce center and college partnership is helping to make people more competitive in the current labor market, she said.

Classes offered so far at Colorado Mountain College campuses have been well-attended, said Beth Shaw, the college's dean of business and industry. More than 850 people attended 53 workshops on basic computer skills that were offered from April through June at CMC sites in Glenwood Springs, Rifle, Aspen, Edwards, Leadville, Dillon and Steamboat Springs. Those attending the classes also received one-on-one help on their resumes and in developing their interviewing skills.

In November, 83 people attended Creating a Winning Business Plan, a class presented in Aspen and shown at other sites via interactive video feed. A third partner supporting that class was the Roaring Fork Business Resource Center.

The workforce center and college have partnered on projects in the past, but not to this current extent. Pettus said the expanded classes would not be possible without the federal stimulus funds.

“This whole opportunity is helping people become the best candidates for the jobs available now or in the future,” she said.

“Our goal with doing this is to create a pathway back to employment with improved skill sets,” Shaw said. “We know that improving your skills solidifies employment.”

Workshops available

Classes are planned through the end of April and are free to clients registered through any local Colorado Workforce Center. Three workshop series — on the topics of entrepreneurship, beginning computer skills and job seeking — will be presented in Glenwood Springs, Rifle, Aspen, Edwards, Leadville, Dillon and Steamboat Springs. For class times at each location and registration, contact your local Colorado Workforce Center office. (The Frisco office is (970) 668-5360, or go to www.yourworkforcecenter.com.)

The workshop “Is Entrepreneurship for You?” will be offered 9 a.m. to noon on Thursdays, kicking off initially on Dec. 17 at the CMC Glenwood Center. The workshop series will then move to the other six locations.

“Marketing for the Entrepreneur” is planned for 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays starting Jan. 13, at the Glenwood Center, and then at the other six locations. Similarly, an “Accounting for the Entrepreneur” workshop will be offered 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays starting Jan. 20 at the Glenwood Center, and will then move to the other locations.

A “Never, Ever Computer Class” series is planned for 1-4 p.m. Thursdays from Jan. 14 through Feb. 25 at all seven locations.

In addition, a workshop series specifically for job seekers is planned for late winter.

“Our goal in partnering with the Colorado Workforce Center is to provide unemployed and underemployed individuals with quality upgrades of their work skills,” said Shaw, who directs the college's Customized Business Services. CBS provides tailored workforce training for employers throughout the Colorado Mountain College district.

For more information, call Sherri Martinez at Colorado Mountain College at (970) 384-8519 or (800) 621-8559.