About Colorado: West Slope Region
The Western Slope region consists of eight Colorado counties west of the Continental Divide: Garfield, Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Ouray and San Miguel. Some of Mother Nature's finest work - alpine meadows, canyons, plateaus and high desert - abound on the Western Slope, providing easy access to activities like skiing, mountain biking, rafting, rock climbing and hunting. The area's attractions include the Grand Mesa National Scenic and Historic Byway, the Colorado National Monument, the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park and the magnificent Colorado River. Grand Junction, the population hub of Western Colorado, is home to nearly 60,000 people. It sits in the Grand Valley near the Colorado River.
Workforce Training and Educational Resources
The organizations and resources listed below could help you return to the job market or gain new skills to make you more qualified for jobs in the 21st century economy.
Newly Unemployed
Register with the Colorado Workforce Center closest to you. In the Western Slope region, you will find Workforce Centers in the following communities:
Workforce Centers can direct you to employment and job training opportunities in the area.
Job Training
If you need any additional job training or if you are a veteran, Workforce Center staff will connect you with Rocky Mountain Service, Employment, & Redevelopment, or RMSER. RMSER staff will work with you to develop job training tailored to your unique skills and previous work experience. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment also offers a broad array of services and resources for job seekers.
Education
For opportunities to improve your education, the Western Slope hosts several well-established institutions:
- Colorado Mountain College, with 11 locations, offers two-year academic programs guaranteed to transfer to all four-year colleges and universities in Colorado. It offers career and technical programs, teaching job skills that can take you right into the workplace.
- Colorado Mesa University (formerly Mesa State College), provides educational opportunities and tools that help students succeed in today's complex and interconnected world. Its focus is on providing quality academic programs, built on a strong liberal arts core that support students' interests and regional employment needs, as well as technical programs that respond to vocational workforce demands.
- The main campus is located in the heart of Grand Junction.
- The Tilman M. Bishop Campus is the result of a partnership of the university, Mesa County Valley School District 51 and area businesses, and is the main site of the university's two-year division, the Western Colorado Community College Programs at the Bishop Campus serve the technical education needs of both college and area high school students.
- The Montrose Campus of Colorado Mesa University provides access to a variety of two- and four-year degree programs in a scenic, smaller community campus setting.
- Colorado Northwestern Community College has campuses in Rangely and Craig, and Service Centers in Meeker, Hayden, Oak Creek's South Routt Center, and through the San Miguel Partnership in Telluride. CNCC offers and offers educational programs that respond to evolvingworkforce environments, including two-year general education transfer degrees. It also offers Associate of General Studies (AGS) - Emphasis Degrees that are tailored for transfer to specific four-year institutions.
- Colorado Christian University, a private university with a campus located in Grand Junction, offers undergraduate programs for students right out of high school or transferring from another college. For adults with work or prior college experience, it offers programs directed at completing a degree, certificate, or licensing program through CCU's College of Adult and Graduate Studies. For individuals who have already completed a bachelor's degree, the university offers graduate degrees through its College of Adult and Graduate Studies. The College of Adult and Graduate Studies at Colorado Christian University offers associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs specifically designed to meet the needs of adult learners, with many classes available in the evenings and/or on weekends, as well as online.
Still need help? Feel free to contact my Western Slope regional office in Grand Junction: 970-245-9553
Regional News
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2013 Colorado Capital Conference Seeks Participants
Friday, February 15, 2013 -
Udall, Senators Introduce Bill to Reauthorize Critical Drought Information Program
Friday, February 15, 2013Bipartisan Group Works to Protect Farmers, Ranchers -
Udall Joins Bipartisan Effort to Strengthen, Reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Thursday, February 14, 2013Fund Helps Federal, State Governments Encourage Land Conservation, Improve Access to Federal Lands -
Udall Reintroduces San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act to Preserve Job-Creating Public Lands in Southwest Colorado
Thursday, February 14, 2013Legislation Preserves Existing Uses While Ensuring 61,000 Acres Are Protected for Future Generations
Regional Blog
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2013 Colorado Capital Conference
Wednesday, February 13, 2013The upcoming Colorado Capital Conference in Washington, D.C. is an opportunity for you and others from across Colorado to meet and engage with national decision makers and opinion leaders in our nation's capital. Want to attend? You can apply online, applications are due March 18.
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Reauthorize VAWA Now
Wednesday, February 6, 2013For the past 19 years, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has saved lives and strengthened families throughout Colorado and the United States by changing the way our society thinks about - and responds to - domestic violence. But one of the strongest tools we have to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assaults and stalking has languished without reauthorization.
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Celebrating Black History Month 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013For more than 150 years, leaders from President Abraham Lincoln to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have challenged us to keep faith with the spirit that enlivens our Constitution. Today we continue the work of these two dynamic men who courageously led the charge – through national division and civil strife – in pursuing a more perfect union where all Americans are truly free and have equal access to opportunity.
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Paycheck Fairness
Tuesday, January 29, 2013Four years ago today, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, ensuring a fair day in court for victims of gender-based pay discrimination. This law was a victory for women everywhere in the continuing fight for equal pay for equal work. However, our fight is far from over: It has been 50 years since the passage of the Equal Pay Act, yet Colorado women still make on average 79 cents to every dollar men make.