Career Training in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs is one of the most concentrated aerospace and defense markets in the United States. The $7 billion aerospace and defense industry in El Paso County includes more than 200 companies and employs 111,000 people, representing over 40 percent of the local economy. (Source: Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC) Major prime contractors including Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, and Raytheon all maintain significant Colorado Springs operations. A second tier of professional services firms including SAIC, Leidos, and Booz Allen Hamilton collectively employ thousands of additional personnel supporting defense and intelligence programs.

The growth trajectory is accelerating. ITS, an information technology, engineering, and cybersecurity firm, announced a 500-job expansion in Colorado Springs in 2025, choosing the city over Henderson, Nevada, and Huntsville, Alabama. (Source: Colorado OEDIT) Sierra Space announced a $15 million facility for Dream Chaser ground operations support, projecting 200 hires. These employers hire across technical and non-technical functions. Project managers coordinate complex multi-year defense programs with strict compliance requirements. Data analysts work with operational, financial, and supply chain data across classified and unclassified environments. Digital marketing professionals support proposal development, business development communications, and recruiting in a market where talent competition is intense.

Colorado Springs has positioned itself as a national hub for cybersecurity, driven by the convergence of military cyber operations, defense contractor cybersecurity divisions, and a growing civilian cybersecurity sector. The National Cybersecurity Center, headquartered in Colorado Springs, serves as a nonprofit resource for cybersecurity innovation and workforce development. Invictus International Consulting, a veteran-owned cybersecurity integrator, selected Colorado Springs for expansion, creating 130 new jobs at an average annual wage of $168,923, which is 280 percent of the average annual wage in El Paso County. (Source: Colorado OEDIT)

The cybersecurity sector creates demand that extends well beyond specialized security engineering roles. Organizations need IT administrators and network professionals who understand security fundamentals (CompTIA A+ and Network+ certifications are baseline qualifications), project managers who can coordinate security assessments, compliance initiatives, and technology implementations, and data analysts who can interpret threat intelligence, vulnerability, and incident response data. For career changers and transitioning military professionals with operational or intelligence backgrounds, cybersecurity-adjacent roles are among the most natural transition paths in the Colorado Springs market.

Healthcare is the second-largest employment sector in Colorado Springs after defense and aerospace. UCHealth Memorial Hospital is the largest civilian healthcare employer in the region. CommonSpirit Health (formerly Centura) operates Penrose-St. Francis Health Services and multiple other facilities across El Paso County. Pueblo’s Parkview Medical Center and the St. Mary Corwin medical campus serve the southern portion of the region. The military healthcare system, including Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson and the various clinics serving active-duty and veteran populations, adds another layer of healthcare employment.

Healthcare employers in Colorado Springs and Pueblo hire consistently for non-clinical roles that DWC programs prepare students for. Project managers coordinate electronic health record implementations, facility expansions, and regulatory compliance initiatives. Data analysts work with clinical outcomes, patient volume, operational efficiency, and financial performance data. Digital marketing professionals manage patient acquisition, community health outreach, and physician recruiting campaigns. The convergence of civilian and military healthcare in Colorado Springs creates a market where healthcare analytics and project management skills are particularly valuable because they apply across both systems.

Colorado Springs has been building a civilian technology sector that operates alongside and increasingly independent of the defense industry. Hewlett-Packard Enterprise and Oracle maintain operations in the region. The city saw a 12 percent increase in tech workers over the past five years, and the broader Colorado Springs tech ecosystem includes software companies, managed service providers, data center operators, and technology consulting firms serving both commercial and government clients. (Source: Colorado Springs Careers)

Technology companies in Colorado Springs hire data analysts to support product development and customer analytics, digital marketing professionals to drive growth and user acquisition, UX designers to improve software products and customer-facing digital experiences, and project managers to coordinate development sprints and technology implementations. For professionals transitioning from defense-adjacent roles, commercial technology positions often offer comparable compensation without the security clearance requirements that constrain mobility in the defense sector.

WIOA, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, is the primary federal program that helps eligible adults and dislocated workers cover the cost of career training through an Individual Training Account. Southern Colorado is served by two separate workforce areas, each with its own workforce center and WIOA administration.

The Pikes Peak Workforce Center is the American Job Center serving El Paso and Teller counties, covering Colorado Springs, Fountain, Security-Widefield, Manitou Springs, Monument, Falcon, Woodland Park, Cripple Creek, and surrounding communities. The main office is located at 1675 Garden of the Gods Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80907. Phone: (719) 667-3700. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. A satellite office operates at 100 W. Bennett Avenue in Cripple Creek for Teller County residents. (Source: Pikes Peak Workforce Center)

The Pikes Peak Workforce Center connects job seekers with career counseling, resume writing assistance, interview preparation, job fairs, and access to WIOA-funded training programs. WIOA helps eligible job seekers get free job training and education for in-demand careers in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas. Veterans and eligible spouses receive priority of service for all Pikes Peak Workforce Center services.

The Pueblo Workforce Center serves Pueblo County residents, including the city of Pueblo and Pueblo West. The Pueblo and Upper Arkansas Workforce Area also covers Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, and Park counties. The Pueblo office is located at 1045 W. 6th Street, Pueblo, CO 81003. Phone: (719) 562-3731. Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Fridays by appointment. (Source: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment)

Pueblo-area residents should contact the Pueblo Workforce Center to begin the WIOA eligibility process. The Pueblo metro’s economy centers on healthcare, manufacturing, education, and government services, and residents looking to transition into data analytics, project management, IT, or digital marketing roles can access the same DWC programs available to Colorado Springs students.

Before your first visit to either workforce center, create your account at ConnectingColorado.gov, Colorado’s statewide workforce system. This registration is required to access WIOA services and connects you to job postings, labor market data, and training program information across the state.

DWC programs are WIOA-eligible in Colorado and appear on the state’s Eligible Training Provider List. Contact our team and we will provide all documentation your Pikes Peak or Pueblo workforce center career counselor needs to support an ITA approval. Start with your local workforce center before enrolling anywhere. WIOA funding must be approved before training begins.

–> Read the Full Colorado WIOA Guide
–> Learn How WIOA Works

If you have a disability that creates a barrier to employment, the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment may fund career training through a separate program. DVR services are available through local offices across Colorado, including in the Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas, and eligibility is not based on income. DWC has a long history of working with DVR clients.

–> Read the DVR Participants Guide here.

Colorado Springs’ large military population means veteran-specific workforce resources are particularly relevant. Veterans and eligible spouses receive priority of service at both the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and the Pueblo Workforce Center. The Pikes Peak Workforce Center’s veteran services team includes Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs) and Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists dedicated to veteran employment support. If you are transitioning from active duty at Fort Carson, Peterson SFB, or Schriever SFB, make your veteran or transitioning service member status clear at first contact with the workforce center. Additionally, the Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP) at Fort Carson provides career readiness resources that can complement workforce-funded training.

DWC’s Community Heroes Discount reduces tuition by 40 percent for nurses, teachers, first responders, firefighters, and police officers currently working full time or part time in a qualifying role. There is no lengthy application process and no waiting for an award decision. Upload a photo ID showing your name, job title, and employer, and DWC staff will send your discount code within two business days. The discount applies to all certificate programs and individual professional development classes and can be combined with Climb Credit financing for the remaining balance, making even the longer certificate programs manageable on a working salary. UCHealth Memorial Hospital and CommonSpirit Health/Penrose-St. Francis nursing staff, Colorado Springs Fire Department and Fort Carson fire and EMS personnel, Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office officers, and teachers across Academy District 20, Colorado Springs School District 11, Falcon District 49, Widefield School District 3, and Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 all qualify. First responders and qualifying professionals in Pueblo County are also eligible.

Colorado Springs has one of the largest military and veteran populations in the country, with approximately 45,000 active-duty service members across Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, plus roughly 90,000 veterans and retirees in the Pikes Peak region. The Next Mission Scholarship was built for this community. It provides 80 percent off standard tuition for qualifying veterans, making it the largest discount DWC offers. To qualify, you must be a veteran within seven years of service with an individual income between $30,000 and $75,000. The remaining 20 percent is financed through Climb Credit for longer programs (with monthly payments as low as $41 per month) or paid directly to DWC in two payments for shorter programs like CompTIA A+ or Network+. The scholarship was built specifically to fill the gap after changes to the VET TEC 2.0 program removed DWC from the approved provider list. If you were exploring VET TEC benefits at DWC and found we are no longer eligible, this is the replacement path. Veterans who do not qualify for the Next Mission Scholarship may still be eligible for fully funded training through VA Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31), a WIOA Individual Training Account through the Pikes Peak Workforce Center or the Pueblo Workforce Center, or the Community Heroes Discount (which has no income restriction and no time-since-service requirement for veterans). Service members transitioning from active duty should also connect with the Soldier for Life Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP) at Fort Carson, which can complement any of these funding pathways.

DWC offers flexible payment options that spread tuition over time, and scholarships and promotional pricing are available throughout the year. Financing through Climb Credit is also available for students who prefer a payment plan or whose employer offers tuition reimbursement. Contact our admissions team to ask what is currently available.