Event Details

Building a Talent Pipeline (K-12) - Monthly Member Program (MMP)

The Pikes Peak Business and Education Alliance (PPBEA) is a career-connected learning
intermediary serving El Paso & Teller counties, Colorado. The launch of the initiative on July 1,
2019 was the culmination of a two-year, collaborative human-centered design effort amongst
multiple public school districts, charter school partners, industry leaders, and economic
development partners to refocus the K-12 education system with the purpose of “accelerating
and enhancing student career development and employer talent attraction through organized
sequenced and scalable career connected learning.”

PPBEA's primary role as a community intermediary is to build experiential and informational
bridges between our rapidly changing economy, our workforce development ecosystem, and the
K-12 education system.

At the center of this collaboration is the practice of career-connected learning. Examples of
career-connected learning activities include career information panel sessions, class
presentations delivered by industry professionals, worksite tours, job shadows, and informational
interviews, internships, and youth apprenticeships or pre-apprenticeships.

All of these activities are designed to supplement classroom education and provide students with an opportunity to explore careers, learn more deeply about specific jobs or occupations, receive
training and resume enhancements, and earn industry-recognized certificates in a career of
interest, leading to an onramp to an entry-level, self-supporting career upon graduation from
high school or post-secondary education.

Program milestones achieved after our fourth year of operation in June 2023 include:

• Surpassed 10,000 education staff and students served
• Surpassed 1,000 unique career-connected learning activities hosted by area businesses
• Surpassed 30,000 seats of career exploration and training activities for students
• Recognition as a Colorado state best practice
• Recognition as a national best practice

Key learnings attendees may expect:

• Catastrophic statistics of the career development/talent attraction disconnect
• Understanding of PPBEA program basics and how we help repair the disconnect
• How an organized career-connected learning can improve talent attraction
• How HR managers can connect with PPBEA

Host: Bob Gemignani

Bob currently serves as Director of the Pikes Peak Business & Education Alliance (PPBEA) and as a Co-Founder and board member of the Business & Education Alliance (BEA) 501(c)(3).

The PPBEA talent development ecosystem is proving that structured, organized and scalable career-connected learning is a productive method to accelerate student career development while serving as a powerful talent attraction tool for employers.  PPBEA is beginning its 5th year of operation in Fall 2023 and is being increasingly mentioned statewide and nationally as a best practice in career-connected learning by working its mission of “connecting students’ talents, interests & aptitudes to the world of work.”  PPBEA’s partnerships now span through 21 school systems and with more than 450 business partners.

Bob has 10 years of experience and progressive leadership in workforce development, career-connected learning program design, and program management. Prior to entering the workforce development world, Bob accumulated over 20 years of successful sales and marketing experience in the environmental services and commercial packaging industries.

Bob is a member of the State of Colorado Workforce Development Council Youth Committee, a certified Human Centered Design Facilitator, and holds a Certification for Social Impact Strategies from the National Institute for Social Impact.

SHRM & HRCI credits pending

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