COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - ColoradoDesk -- COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. – Peak Education, a Colorado Springs-area nonprofit that facilitates greater collaboration between secondary education, higher education, and industry, will host a State of Post-Secondary Access in Colorado Springs Forum at Pikes Peak State College to discuss the current state of higher education and workforce needs.

Despite nearly 70% of all careers in Colorado following high school requiring college or post-secondary training, only 43% of low-income high school graduates from Colorado Springs schools enroll in a postsecondary option. This is notably lower than the national 67.9% and statewide 56% postsecondary enrollment rates. Of 100 ninth graders in our region's low-income districts, only 16.5 percent can expect to complete a college degree or certificate within ten years based historical data.

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Says Carlos Jimenez, Chief Executive Officer of Peak Education, "Opportunity exists at the crossroads of our business, civic, and education sectors. This forum brings together experts to open up the conversation on how we, as a community, bridge the gap between the needs of our students and the workforce of our region."

This event comprises two sessions, the first of which provides participants the opportunity to hear from an impressive lineup of panelists including experts like Tatiana Bailey, the Executive Director of Data Driven Strategies, and Roberto Garcia, Vice President of Student Services at PPSC, among others.

The second session will highlight the Innovate COS initiative, a collaborative endeavor aimed at revolutionizing educational and business partnerships in Colorado Springs. Participants will engage in an interactive session with Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, President & CEO of Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC; Jonathan A. Liebert, CEO/Executive Director of Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado; and Dr. Wendy Birhanzel, Superintendent of D2 Harrison School District.

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Additionally, local young leaders will deliver empowering testimonials about their own experiences accessing higher education and the workforce.

Matthew Telles, El Pomar Foundation Extern and lead on the State of Post-Secondary Access in Colorado Springs Forum, believes the forum will jumpstart new solutions that build momentum toward the collective's goals.

"The primary goal of this event is to highlight gaps in students' needs as they strive to access higher education and regional workforce development opportunities. By informing our audience of this current landscape, we encourage our stakeholders in attendance to invest into diverse and robust partnerships to have widespread impact on college and career readiness structures in our community."

For more information on the State of Education and Workforce Development in Colorado Springs Forum, contact Claudia De Santiago, Peak Education Director of Development at 719-492-1046 or by email at claudia@peakedu.org.