CWEE and UCHealth Collaborate to Disrupt Barriers Faced by Low-Income Workers in the Labor Market

For more than 40 years, CWEE has specialized in supporting workers in our economy who are often overlooked, frequently because these workers lack traditional education and experience qualifications.

Yet, when employers commit to working with workforce trainers such as CWEE to create accessible career pathways, both workers and employers benefit. Employers gain access to a deeper pool of talent, workers gain access to promising careers, and our entire community benefits from the increasing economic stability of families.

CWEE serves career seekers living at or below the poverty line in Denver and Aurora and works with employers across the region. A key partner for CWEE is UCHealth*, which recently launched the Ascend Career Program, an education and upskilling initiative that creates new entry points for those interested in a career in health care.

The program removed the high school diploma or GED requirement for certain roles, as new hires have the opportunity to earn this and other credentials with support from UCHealth. This change opens promising health care career paths to many more career seekers – people like Aurora resident and CWEE alumna Andrea Landeros (pictured with her children).

Andrea worked construction for 13 years, but the long days and frequent travel became too hard to manage as a single mom. Andrea’s dream was to return to health care but she struggled with where to start. She had worked as a medical assistant but couldn’t afford the education she needed to renew her license, and she had no success submitting applications for health care jobs she found online. Andrea connected with CWEE, enrolled in a career preparation program and learned about entry-level opportunities with UCHealth.

Today, Andrea is employed as a Patient Technology Technician, part of a unique staffing model designed to support nurses and enable them to focus more time on patient care.

“I work three days a week, 12-hour shifts, and I love that schedule,” Andrea shares. “Work is 10 minutes from my home, and I have four days off to spend with my kids.”

After just three months, Andrea earned a promotion, and she is eager to take advantage of UCHealth’s education benefits program for employees to continue advancing her career.

“When I was in school, I would sit with my kids and do homework,” Andrea said. “I felt like it made an impact on them – just because you are older, it doesn’t mean your schooling or your learning stops.”

*Keith Peterson, UCHealther leader, serves on CWEE’s Board of Directors.