Skillful is a new skills-based online platform that values people's skills, not just degrees, and supports lifelong learning in today's rapidly changing economy. Job seekers can now use Skillful to connect to employers with well-paying jobs and educators who can help them acquire new skills and advance their careers.

Colorado joins the greater Phoenix area as a preliminary test market for Skillful, thanks to our state's heavy concentration on workforce development and improving the talent pipeline. 

Wan-Lae Cheng, Senior Director at Markle and Alison Dorey, part of the Economic Graph team at LinkedIn join us to explain the concept behind Skillful, how it helps both job-seekers and employers and the intuitive ways everyone can approach employment in a more meaningful way, and make better matches. 
 

We devote many of our radio shows to Colorado workforce concerns, to shed light on the fact that there are good-paying, satisfying jobs out there for people with the right qualifications. In Colorado, manufacturing is a growing industry for menand women. 

Kristen Muzzy, EVP Business Development for Leading2Lean and Board Member of CO WIM, introduces us to Lauren McIntosh, Plant Manager for  Priority Plastics and the Colorado Chapter President for  WIM (Women in Manufacturing).  

We  discuss events coming up this year for WiM; career building day in July including profile building, career coaching, multi-plant tours and an Executive WIM panel event in October.  Lauren will share her experience in manufacturing as the youngest, and only female plant manager for her company. 

Manufacturing in Colorado is an essential key to our state's economy, as production enjoys a sort of renaissance. Bart Taylor recognized this, and was inspired to start  Company Week - a weekly publication which became the voice of the Rocky Mountain manufacturing economy. 

In this episode, we talk with Bart Taylor, publisher of Company Week about the diverse group of industries that make up Colorado Manufacturing and how those companies drive the regional resurgence of manufacturing  and economic growth. 

Chuck Blakeman is a successful entrepreneur, an internationally acclaimed speaker, weekly Inc. Magazine contributor, best-selling author and world-renowned business advisor who has built ten businesses in seven industries on four continents.  His first book,  Making Money is Killing Your Business was rated "#1 Business Book of the Year" by NFIB, the largest business owner association in America.  And his most recent book, Why Employees are ALWAYS a Bad Idea has been named one of the "Top Ten Business Books of the Year".  

In this interview, we talk with Chuck about his  3 to 5 Club, where people who own businesses can form a community where they can ask questions, admit they don't know the answers, and ultimately inspire and support one another in pushing their businesses to a maturity date within three to five years. Meaning, the business can run itself while the owner takes time away, for new enterprises or simply a vacation.

Chuck also speaks about the Participation Age, referring to workers who want to be stakeholders in business, where their work is more a contribution than simply a source for a paycheck. 

Gallup has long been associated with well-researched statistics as well as election predictions. The company famous for surveys has stepped away from election season but has much more in development, in particular on helping Americans create and find jobs. 

We talk with Joe Daly about Entrepreneurial Profile 10 - a program developed by Gallup to identify and assess the aptitudes and skill sets of youth for entrepreneurial endeavors.

Gallup has met with Denver leaders to explain details of a new program that has already launched in three U.S. and three international cities.