Colorado Joins Growing Network of States Using EnGen to Upskill Local Workforces

With two jobs available for every unemployed worker in states across the country, the health of local economies depends on employers’ ability to connect with new talent pipelines. In response, innovative state governments are investing in scaleable, proven solutions that ensure  all local workers have access to  future-ready jobs – including immigrants, refugees, and speakers of other languages. 

In launching a new statewide partnership with EnGen, Colorado has joined a growing network of other states – including Maine and Michigan – that are deploying English upskilling to advance the career mobility of an estimated 13M adult English learners in the U.S. workforce. The Colorado Office of New Americans (ONA), housed in the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), has tapped EnGen to develop an ambitious, statewide Virtual Career-Aligned English as a Second Language (VCESL) program. EnGen will support a trailblazing effort to extend work-based learning and upskilling opportunities to all Colorado workers, including the nearly 520,000 immigrants and refugees in the state’s labor force. 

Immigrants, refugees, and speakers of other languages are well-positioned to fill both staffing and skill gaps , but they are too often kept out of workforce development initiatives because of systemic yet addressable English barriers, including English skills. 

From now through 2030, immigrants and their children will drive 97% of net growth in the U.S. workforce. Successfully scaling access to effective English upskilling is critical to ensuring that immigrants and refugees are fully included in local workforces, yet the U.S. currently serves just 4% of adult language learners. 

EnGen’s platform is designed to fill that gap, offering a science-based, scalable solution that simultaneously connects adult learners with the English and career skills needed to access careers in high-demand fields. As part of the Colorado VCESL program, EnGen will offer workplace-based learning solutions for tens of thousands of employers across the state, with a focus on career-aligned English for small and medium-sized businesses. The program will include partnerships with Colorado-based organizations focused on workforce development, adult education, and immigrant and refugee resettlement and support, offering flexible, scalable, and easily-deployable opportunities to both upskill incumbent workers and connect employers with new talent pools.  EnGen will also develop at least six new learning pathways to respond to Colorado workforce needs, adding to a catalog of 125-plus courses aligned with dozens of sectors, including health care, manufacturing, hospitality, aviation, entrepreneurship, and more. 

Scaling Solutions Across States 

As conveners of employers, educators, and workforce development organizations, state governments are playing a unique role in catalyzing economic mobility and opportunity in local communities and economies.

In Maine, the Department of Education has partnered with EnGen to deliver virtual, career-focused English learning to programs across the state, bolstering capacity to serve intermediate and higher-level learners.  And in Michigan, the Office of Global Michigan uses EnGen to serve a variety of newcomers, including recently arrived refugees in need of English and digital literacy skills as well as internationally trained professionals with credentials and training from other countries.

“Since 2019, we've offered EnGen to hundreds of adult English learners across Michigan. They come from different backgrounds, have different levels of formal education, and work in varying sectors, but consistently agree that EnGen has helped them with the English skills they need for their personal and professional goals. We know that English proficiency is fundamental to powering workforce inclusion and see great promise in using EnGen to scale access to English proficiency across Michigan.” said Karen Phillippi, former Director of the New Americans Office of Global Michigan. 

A recent survey of EnGen learners showed that 95% improved their confidence in communicating in English as a result of using the platform; 92% improved their average English proficiency scores on an objective assessment. A full 87% achieved a career or social goal, like a pay raise, promotion, or civic engagement. 
Learn how EnGen can advance workforce inclusion in your state: Request a platform demo.