Rocky Mountain Partnership (RMP) – Thornton, CO
Rocky Mountain Partnership (RMP) is a coalition of cross-sector community members and community partners focused on improving the economic and social mobility by breaking down silos, removing obstacles, and supporting resources and policy change so that all community members in Adams County, the City of Aurora, and the City and County of Broomfield can earn skills and credentials, be able to access high-paying jobs, and advance in their careers so they and their families can thrive. As such, the coalition works to transform systems to empower community members by focusing on four priority areas, which include: improving hiring and retention practices, increasing the number of pathways to top jobs, removing housing barriers, and addressing the opioid crisis.
Support from the Fund for Workforce Equity enabled RMP to deepen two areas of its work: addressing equity gaps in high-demand career positions and embedding community voice in organizational policies through the development of a Community Coalition. In the first area, RMP reviewed employee and leadership data to surface equity disparities. It then developed targeted action plans with employer partners to shift hiring practices (e.g., revise job posting language, eliminate unnecessary degree requirements and background checks) and establish systems for including employee voice in hiring, retention, and employee advancement practices. For example, a local school district with over 5,000 employees identified creative ways to incentivize entry-level positions, such as free access to professional development opportunities and public transportation passes.
In the second area, RMP expanded its Community Coalition group to six participating youth and young adults ages 16 to 24. Two of these individuals also served as representatives on RMP’s Executive Committee and helped advance the adoption of this coalition model in a local school district. This involved creating a framework that emphasized centering the voices and perspectives of workers and learners of color.
In addition to the grant funding, RMP benefitted from the Fund’s technical assistance supports. In particular, they recalled a session led by community members from two workforce organizations and found it to be a powerful and inspiring example of what RMP’s Community Coalition could one day accomplish. They also valued the journey mapping webinar and the opportunity to closely examine how workers and learners navigate hiring, retention, and employee advancement at work.
Looking ahead, RMP intends to partner with business intermediaries to broaden access to businesses in the region, create a data hub for participating employers that will help them determine whether their organizational practices are equitable, and scale the Community Coalition model to drive equitable outcomes and opportunities for workers and learners of color.