Business and Community Partnerships

Do your managers need more support to be their best? Do you want to give them world-class coaching and training, but your options are too expensive?

Lead Belay makes it easy, and affordable, to support your new managers. The Emerging Leader Ascent, a 9-week peer-based coaching program, is a transformational experience that gives managers the help they badly need – and want – to be great at their job.

Lead Belay matches your new manager with a small group of peers from other organizations (that’s right – no 2 people in a group are from the same company, on purpose) and gives each group a professional coach. Then, over the next 9 weeks, Lead Belay guides them as they learn, practice, and apply the skills they need to become confident and successful people leaders.

After your new managers finish their 9-week journeys, Lead Belay offers a series of capstone workshops customized to your organization. This capstone experience connects the learning by each of your managers directly to your organization’s strategy, mission, values, and leadership standards.

Learn more about Lead Belay

This is an exclusive offering through ACC! Contact shao [dot] yeung [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (Shao Yeung) to learn more and to get started.

Many caregivers are interested in furthering their careers by gaining a Certified Nursing Aide license, but they don’t have the time or resources to invest. Arapahoe Community College offers an accelerated and cost-effective CNA training program for cohorts sponsored by employers. The theory portion of the program is a hybrid model that allows employees to continue working while in the program. Because the program is sponsored by employers the curriculum can be customized to the specific needs of the employer.   

Delivery of instruction, lab, and clinical training meet the requirements of the Colorado Board of Nursing’s Nurse Aide training programs and eligibility for the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program exam (NNAAP). ACC provides all the necessary lab equipment and supplies. All instructors meet the requirements set forth by the Colorado Board of Nursing.

This is an exclusive offering through ACC! Contact shao [dot] yeung [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (Shao Yeung) to learn more and to get started.

 Train your team in situational awareness, threat detection, leadership, and tactics, so that your employees are prepared for potential threats. It is a business's responsibility to keep its employees and customers safe. Working with ACC and Able Shepherd to build a plan and train your team is a great first step. Fire drills and CPR training are an expected part of any business’s training practices. Having a plan and the training to deal with an unexpected intruder should be no different. Employees and customers deserve a safe space to do business. Able Shepherd’s expert training program and specialized training are tailored to fit the business’s needs.

Able Shepherd is a nationally recognized, progressive program. “Take Care of One Another" is Able Shepherd’s motto, they are a local company with a huge mission, safety in our communities. It was founded by Jimmy Graham. Jimmy spent 15 years as a Navy SEAL, 7 years with the CIA as a GRS operator, and lead instructor for Federal security agents overseas on high-risk protection details. His passion is providing safe environments.   

• Defense
• Evacuate
• Fortify
• Emergency Medical Aid
• Notify others in your immediate area
• Dial 911 immediately

This is an exclusive offering through ACC! Contact shao [dot] yeung [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (Shao Yeung) to learn more and to get started.

Your Strategy identifies the destination, the objectives, and the goals that your organization is trying to achieve. If your strategy is missing, unclear, or not agreed upon it can result in confusion throughout the organization. The Business Excellence Group works with organizations to build out an 18–36-month strategy that is turned into a project plan to make sure it can be achieved.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

The organizational structure aligns the leadership functions with the strategy. If the structure is not aligned it can result in friction throughout the organization, silos will form, and collaboration will stop or not exist. The Business Excellence Group will work in identifying what the right structure is to achieve your goals, what are the key accountabilities for team members, and how to install single-point decision-making at the right level.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

People work within the structure. If people are not enabled and empowered, then the organization will experience low performance. The Business Excellence Group will help define individual roles, set clear expectations, and performance metrics at the individual level. The role design process can also help with hiring, performance management, and succession management. Together it will help attract, retain, and grow talent within your company. 

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

Lateral processes enable the coordination and collaboration of the people’s work. It binds the organization’s structure and work methods together. If the organization has poor communication and collaboration, then they are likely to experience gridlock. The Business Excellence Group has easy-to-implement systems to help with team coordination of work activities to ensure alignment and clarity of project status.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

The Methods and Tools are the processes, systems, and standards that the people use for the organization to make their products or provide their services. If there are no standards defined, then the company will have significant variation. There are many tools that help with work methods. It doesn’t matter if you are manufacturing a product or providing a service, having clearly defined methods adds value to your customer and is key to keeping your costs down and your quality high. The Business Excellence Group has expertise in lean manufacturing principles, 6 sigma methods, and standard work methods that any industry can deploy.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

Metrics help the organization know how they are doing against their strategy, helps identify issues along the way, and allow the organization to respond when they are missing their targets. If the metrics and rewards do not support the goals, then there can be internal competition. The Business Excellence Group has tools to link metrics from your company strategy down to individual performance metrics. This linkage will ensure that what you measure drives the right outcome.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

Supply chain management affects all businesses in all industries. Having what you need, when you need it, and in the right quantities is critical to keeping any business going. The Business Excellence Group has tools to help know what you are consuming and what it will take to replenish it so that you never run out or have too much material that impacts your cash flow. Knowing your total cost of ownership is critical to your materials management to keep your business running.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

Succession management goes far beyond succession planning. Succession management is having a plan for all critical roles within your business. Knowing how you will train or fill those positions helps mitigate the risk to your business not being able to meet your customer’s needs. The Business Excellence Group has methods and tools to help identify critical resources, build a plan to develop capabilities, and manage the key roles within your business.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

Efficient factory design is knowing your production capacity based on different product mixes or scenarios. It is knowing how your material will feed the line, designing a “golden line”, and understanding your space utilization. When you know how much space you need you can also build a plan for when you will need to relocate or expand. Understanding your true capacity can also help determine your headcount needs and production capability and when new technology can make a difference in your growth. The Business Excellence Group has a simple method to conduct this analysis that you can use to strategically plan your growth.

The Business Excellence Group, in partnership with Arapahoe Community College, assists organizations of all sizes in all industries to help them achieve their strategy and business excellence.

Relocating or expanding your business in Colorado? Access Colorado Training Grant Funds and partner with ACC to ensure your workforce is ready to succeed.

Skill Advance Colorado

By securing grants through the Colorado First and Existing Industry Customized Job Training Programs, you can ensure your workforce has the technology training they need to succeed—and ensure your company remains competitive. Before applying, we encourage you to reach out to ACC to discuss your eligibility. acc [dot] wcp [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (Email us) or call us at 303.797.5722.

Colorado First and Existing Industry Grant Program

Colorado First and Existing Industry Customized Job Training Grant Programs support Colorado’s workforce development by providing grants to existing companies as well as those locating or expanding in Colorado. By providing grants to existing companies as well as those that are locating to or expanding in Colorado, the Colorado First and Existing Industry Customized Job Training Programs support Colorado’s workforce development. Reimbursing job training costs increases transferable job skills that not only benefit workers but also help companies to be competitive for the long term.

The Existing Industry program focuses on helping established Colorado companies remain competitive within their industry, adapt to new technology, and prevent layoffs. The Colorado First program assists with training funds for new hires for companies that are relocating or expanding in Colorado.

Jointly administered by the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and managed through participating colleges. Grants are contingent upon available funding.

Training must be tailored for the participating company. (Colorado First - FTE $1,650, Existing Industries - FTE $1,400.)

Training topics are diverse and vary based on the participating company’s needs. A few examples :

• Leadership Training
• Active Shooter Preparedness
• Diversity and Inclusivity
• Introduction of new software
• Virtual team building and management

Training can be performed by a CCCS participating college, an expert within the participating company, or an outside contractor.

Grant Application Criteria

Before applying for a grant, we encourage you to contact ACC to discuss your eligibility. Here are the application criteria:

• All grant-funded training must be for full-time (32 hours/week), non-seasonal, non-retail employees who have significant career opportunities, require substantive instruction, and are eligible to work in the U.S.

• Companies must pay an average hourly wage of at least $16.00/hour in urban counties and at least minimum wage in rural counties.

• Learners must sign an affidavit to certify their participation in grant-funded training.
  Companies must contribute a minimum of 40% (cash or in-kind) to the total costs of grant-funded training. Hourly wage of employees is considered in-kind.

• Training must be customized to specific company needs and related to substantive resume-building and transferable skills.

• 501(c)(3) applications are accepted.

• Grant-funded training may not begin until the training application has been approved by State program administrators.

• An on-site company visit by OEDIT and CCCS representatives is required.

Managed through participating colleges. Grants are contingent upon available funding.

• Application submissions to the State: July 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023
• Training Completion Deadline: May 19, 2023
• Final Reports Due: Within 2 weeks after training completion

Introduce your employees to the little-known world of Deaf Culture while offering them a second language learning opportunity. This course is especially meaningful and applicable for institutions with Deaf employees, but it is an insightful introduction to anyone seeking personal development and cultural/linguistic understanding. Attendees will learn basic conversational ASL skills, how ASL differs from English and cultural points about the American Deaf Community. This class has been offered as a monthly online Wellness program but can be tailored to fit your specific needs.  

Contact shao [dot] yeung [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (Shao Yeung) for more information.

Handshake is an online database where employers can post an unlimited number of job listings or internship opportunities and view upcoming events and job fairs at no charge.

Host an information session or table to share information about your organization in a targeted setting. Participate in industry-specific career fairs to meet prospective employees and furnish information about your organization and current opportunities.

Create a talent pipeline from classroom to workplace by involving students in your company while they are still attending college.

Explore opportunities to train new talent on the job or ask about grants for your current employees.

Share your professional expertise in the classroom to connect directly with students before they enter the workforce.

Help a student achieve their dreams and Move Mountains toward their goals. Donate resources toward scholarships, tuition, equipment, and more through the ACC Foundation.