Workforce Development
Capitalizing on nearly $1.8B to be invested in the construction of 2,000+ homes and a new mixed use area with neighborhood businesses and offices through the Uplands development over the next decade, the Uplands Community Collective is actively working to ensure this investment creates and supports construction, horticulture, and maintenance jobs in the local community.
We want our community built by the people that live here and so we are proactively working with partners such as the Colorado Home Building Academy and Westminster High Schools Career and Technical Education program to create a training, apprentice, and certification program for young adults just entering the workforce. We’re also targeting workers with existing construction and trades experience who would like to take the next step in becoming certified, insured and licensed to become subcontractors or run their own crew.
Our workforce development pipeline will also create job opportunities for the design, installation and maintenance of landscaping in our community.
Finally, we will work with our local office of economic development and business and nonprofit partners to identify gaps in the business and service sector in our community. We aim to work with anchor institutions, such as hospitals, the educational system, hotels, restaurant groups and other neighboring industries to drive local procurement dollars into our community.
The Uplands Community Collective’s vision of building a strong place-based economy will help support the creation of new businesses and industries to ensure our community flourishes and provides opportunity and high-quality of life for everyone.
Construction
Historic Westminster is a good place to live for working class families. Many of them work in the construction and trades industry. Rather than driving to job sites in someone else’s community, we’re working to ensure they can have a job within their community, building homes within walking or biking distance, reducing vehicle trips and keeping more money in those families’ pockets.
Horticulture
The Uplands development is committed to utilizing water-saving principles and designs. Instead of water-intensive sod, landscaping will be native plants, pollinator gardens, and food-bearing perennials. The Uplands Community Collective is working to create a pipeline for the local production of plants, as well as creating jobs for landscaping design, installation and maintenance.
Agriculture
The Uplands Community Collective is revitalizing a private historic farm into a community-serving farm. The Uplands Farm will provide numerous employment and educational opportunities. We’re working with the best in the industry to develop curriculum and programs to train the next generation of farmers who are passionate about stewarding the land and feeding their community.
