DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
UnitedHealthcare and CareerWise Colorado will help expand CareerWise Colorado youth apprenticeships in Mesa County, along Colorado’s Western Slope.
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UnitedHealthcare will fund a Mesa County-based program manager position for the next two years to enhance CareerWise’s efforts in the greater Grand Junction area. The program manager’s role is to work with local CareerWise Colorado partners to develop, launch and manage apprenticeship opportunities for working-age high-school students in Mesa County.
“Grand Junction is an innovative and motivated community that sees the power of this program and has hit the ground running to promote these apprenticeships. Our partners, like the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce, Mesa School District 51 and Western Colorado Community College, are doing incredible work to ensure students have the skills needed to continue growing the local economy. We thank UnitedHealthcare for funding this new program manager position, which we believe will be invaluable to the community,” said Noel Ginsburg, founding CEO of CareerWise Colorado.
CareerWise is shaping Colorado’s workforce through innovative, business-led youth apprenticeships. The nonprofit coordinates apprenticeships among businesses, students and educators that create long-term impact. Students completing the program earn wages while gaining real-world skills, industry credentials and college credit that provide them with options to enter the workplace in high-paying jobs or continue their education. Businesses benefit from the program as they take a more hands-on approach to building their own skilled and loyal workforces.
“CareerWise apprenticeships help local businesses grow and succeed,” said Beth Soberg, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Colorado. “UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to partner with CareerWise to develop the potential of youth in communities along the Western Slope, and to support the growth of this apprenticeship program in the communities of Mesa County.”
The Mesa County-based program manager will help ensure students are employed by training company partners starting later this summer. Participating businesses will offer positions in technology fields, project management and business operations, and advanced manufacturing.
About CareerWise Colorado:
CareerWise Colorado is building a statewide system of youth apprenticeships that create pathways for students to access high-demand, high-paying careers at leading Colorado companies. Student apprentices also work toward high school graduation and earn postsecondary credit, industry credentials or both in their chosen career path. Established by the Business Experiential-Learning (BEL) Commission created by Gov. John Hickenlooper and chaired by Noel Ginsburg, CEO of Intertech Plastics, CareerWise Colorado will launch its first apprenticeships in 2017 in school districts in metro Denver, the Northern Front Range, and the Western Slope. 20,000 youth apprentices, or about 10 percent of Colorado students in their last two years of high school, are expected to participate by 2027. More information about CareerWise Colorado is available at http://www.careerwisecolorado.org/ or follow @CareerWiseCO on Twitter.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
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