Colorado has a problem. We are one of the most educated states in the country, yet employers across health care, construction, skilled trades, aerospace and advanced manufacturing cannot find the talent they need.

At the same time, too many Coloradans leave high school without a next step. Too many adults have some college but no credential. Too many families make expensive education decisions without knowing which programs lead to good jobs.

This is not simply a talent shortage, but a system alignment problem. That is why the Transition Advisory Committee, created by HB26-1317 and whose work recently began, matters.

The committee is charged with recommending how Colorado can better connect postsecondary education and workforce development. Done well, this could be one of the most important reforms Colorado undertakes in a generation. Done poorly, it will become another bureaucratic reshuffling that changes reporting lines without changing results.

Colorado cannot afford that. To succeed, the committee should focus on five priorities.

Start with outcomes, not structure.

The goal is to help more Coloradans earn valuable credentials, enter good jobs and advance their careers. The key question should be blunt: Will this make the system work better for the people it is supposed to serve?

If students cannot tell which credentials lead to good jobs, if adult learners lose momentum moving between training and work and if employers receive disconnected outreach, the redesign has failed. Structure matters only if it improves results.

Design the system around the user.

Colorado’s economy doesn’t move in neat stages, and neither do people’s lives. Workers need to learn, earn, retrain and advance repeatedly over a lifetime. People need a system that is clear, usable and built for lifelong movement between learning and work.

Colorado should move toward clear pathways, consistent advising, portable credit and accessible information about cost, completion, employment and wages. The system should have no wrong doors and no dead ends.

Treat employers as partners in design and improvement.

Employers have long been asked to participate in advisory groups and surveys. Too often their input comes late, never shapes decisions or disappears into processes that produce no action, creating fatigue.

Colorado needs to change how and when it engages employers. Employers should help design pathways tied to labor market demand, and that engagement must be ongoing, with training updated based on employer feedback.

Make data transparent and useful.

For too long, systems have focused on what is easiest to measure rather than what matters most. Enrollment is important, but enrollment is not success.

Colorado should be able to answer basic questions: Which programs lead to completion? Which credentials lead to employment? Which pathways produce wage gains?

This is not about assigning blame, but about telling the truth. Better data helps students make informed choices, helps employers trust the system and helps policymakers invest more wisely.

Build something that lasts.

Colorado is approaching a gubernatorial transition, making this work urgent and fragile. The committee’s recommendations will shape decisions for years. They should be practical, actionable and durable.

Colorado needs a system with clear ownership, shared goals, transparent measures and funding aligned to outcomes.

Most of all, it must deliver results.

This is not an abstract policy exercise, but whether a student in Pueblo can see a path from high school to a good job.

Whether a working adult in Aurora can earn a credential without starting over. Whether Colorado businesses can grow because talent is ready.

The committee has a rare opportunity to move Colorado beyond disconnected programs toward a talent system that works and what Colorado needs.

Scott Laband is the president and CEO of Colorado Succeeds, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings together leaders from business, education and government to advance education and workforce development.