Building Scalable Talent Pipelines that Align Colorado’s Industry Needs
with Education Systems
Transforming TPM into a Statewide Strategy
A 2023 TPM Academy® graduate, Ben Gerig brought TPM into Colorado Succeeds to help unify employer engagement efforts across the state. He has since embedded TPM as a cross-sector implementation strategy—focusing on real-time labor market data, employer hiring needs, and measurable outcomes for learners.
In 2024, Gerig joined the national TPM leadership group as a Fellow and later earned advanced recognition as a TPM Verified Talent Supply Chain Manager through a rigorous peer-review process. His work has been nationally recognized for applying TPM not as a standalone project, but as a systemic approach to build scalable, employer-led training pathways.
Project SCALE: A Statewide Model for Construction Pathways
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado faced an urgent shortage of construction and infrastructure workers. Gerig seized this moment to help launch Project SCALE (Scaling Construction Access for L/Earners) with key industry partners, a TPM-embedded initiative that aligns employer needs with training provider offerings to close workforce gaps in construction.
To ground the work, Colorado Succeeds convened more than 100 employers, training providers, and public agencies across the construction industry (including commercial, civil, industrial, residential, union, and open shop stakeholders) to collect shared hiring data and actionable workforce intelligence.
Project SCALE Outcomes to Date:
- Employer-Driven Alignment: Over 20 employers adopted a shared hiring signal to guide credential design and training investments.
- Workforce Event Activation: In April 2025, Gerig led an employer-hosted hiring fair connecting 80+ job seekers to 20+ companies—tracking hires and retention outcomes post-event.
- Equity-Centered Design: Project SCALE prioritizes underserved populations, with a focus on mobility, wage gains, and access to stackable, industry-recognized credentials.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, Gerig ensured Project SCALE built upon and amplified Colorado’s existing career-connected learning systems.
Expanding TPM Across Sectors
In 2025, Gerig and the Colorado Succeeds team launched the TPM Academy of Colorado, a first-of-its-kind professional development community of practice designed to train education, workforce, economic development, and industry association leaders in the TPM methodology.
The Academy aims to equip 35 intermediaries and systems leaders over the next year to support employer collaboratives in high-growth sectors. In parallel, Colorado’s state Career and Technical Education (CTE) Office has partnered with Colorado Succeeds to embed TPM-aligned approaches into high school and community college programs—solidifying TPM’s role as a backbone strategy across K–12 and postsecondary pathways.
Centering Business Strategy and Economic Mobility
A defining feature of Gerig’s approach is his emphasis on framing TPM as a business strategy that delivers a return on investment for employers—rather than a traditional workforce program. His clear, outcome-oriented messaging has helped industry leaders see talent development as a competitive imperative.
“I get to help employers solve real hiring problems—while building systems that open new doors for Colorado learners,” Gerig shared. “That intersection of business strategy and economic mobility is where real impact happens.”
Learn more about the U.S. Chamber Foundation's Talent Pipeline Management initiative.
