Colorado Springs Trade Schools, Colleges

 

Colorado Springs rests in the county seat of El Paso County, Colorado. The city is located in the central part of the state and is situated along fountain Creek which runs 60 miles south of the state capital of Colorado in Denver. Colorado Springs is home to a wide array of governing bodies in the world of sports including the United States Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Training Center. All in all, there are 24 national governing bodies in the world of sports that currently hold headquarters in Colorado Springs.

 

Colorado Springs is known as a mecca not only for sports but also for wide array of career prospects. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the estimated population in Colorado Springs is roughly 456,568 as of the year 2015. This population estimate ranks it the second most populous city in the state of Colorado just behind Denver and the 40th most populous city in America. The Colorado Springs metropolitan area has an estimated population of roughly 697,856 as of the year 2015. The metropolitan area includes the Front Range urban corridor, the Front Range and Rocky Mountains in Colorado and Wyoming and Interstate 25 between both states. In 2016, Colorado Springs was named the number five city on a best places to live list by the U.S. News & World Report on the list of 2016 Best Places to Live in the USA.

 

Career Training in Colorado Springs

 

According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, released Wednesday, employment within the city is growing at the fastest rate in almost 9 years. Local payrolls jumped up by 3% in the prior year making it the fastest growth year since 2006. Colorado Springs offers many opportunities for higher education in the form of bachelors and graduate degree programs as well as trade/vocational schools in associate degree opportunities.

 

Notable higher education institutions distributed throughout the city and metropolitan area include Doolittle Hall on the campus of the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado College, CollegeAmerica, the University of Colorado, Colorado Technical University, Remington College, Nazarene Bible College, Colorado Christian University, Colorado Springs Center Campus, The Citadel Campus of Colorado State University-Pueblo, DeVry University and the University of the Rockies. Additionally, the United States Air Force Academy offers a training Academy in military school in Colorado Springs. For those looking to branch into the world of information technology, IntelliTec College and Pikes Peak Community College offer two-year degree programs in technical training.

 

Colorado Springs earned a 34th Pl. ranking in the top 50 most walkable US cities in a 2011 study by Walk Score. Considered a great place to commute via a variety of means, recent voter emotions as of November 2015 overwhelmingly passed ballots to improve road and travel infrastructure over the next five years. With new taxation laws dedicated to helping the city of Colorado Springs improve the region's transportation infrastructure, the state is working together in partnership with the
Colorado Springs Metro Interstate Expansion (COSMIX) to address transportation needs on both interstate highways and local streets. The Colorado Springs public transportation system, Mountain Metro Rides, the city hopes to downsize pollution and reduce congestion as drivers are encouraged to carpool, bicycle, walk or vanpool.

 

Careers in Colorado Springs

 

Colorado Springs local economy is driven primarily by high-tech industry related jobs as well as military and tourism jobs. These three core industries have experienced a fair amount of job growth in recent years and provide the backbone of the service sectors in Colorado Springs. As of October 2015, the unemployment rate in the city was only 3.9%. Weighed against the 4.8% unemployment rate in October 2014 and 7.3% in November, 2013, the driving forces in the city are clearly having a positive impact on the number of employed individuals in the city.

 

Within the defense industry, the Colorado Springs economy is driven by a strong military presence. Defense industry sectors are among the city's largest employers. Specifically, career niche is available include defense, aerospace industry and the development and operation of various missile-defense projects. Though certain defense corporations have downsized their presence in Colorado Springs, there has been a significant uprising of defense corporations including Boeing, General Dynamics, Harris Corporation, SAIC, ITT, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. Additionally, the Space Foundation also holds headquarters in Colorado Springs.

 

In regards to high-tech industries, an overwhelming percentage of Colorado Springs economy is based on manufacturing high technology and complex electrical equipment. The high-tech sector of Colorado Springs experienced a downturn between the years 2000 and 2006 causing notable reductions in complex electrical equipment and information technology. However, due to a rise in tourism, the high-tech sector began gaining revenue and generating more employment opportunities in the city. Specific notable companies holding headquarters in Colorado Springs include Verizon Business, a telecommunications firm and Hewlett-Packard; maintaining large sales, support, and SAN storage engineering center in the city.

 

Additionally, the Storage Networking Industry Association (home of the SNIA Technology Center) holds headquarters in Colorado Springs. Broadcom (formerly LSI Corporation) design software and semiconductors that accelerates networking and storage in data centers and mobile networks within the city and state. A wide array of trade/vocational schools specializing in information technology provide students with the academic starting point to begin considering a career in high tech industry careers.

 

Industries in Colorado Springs, Colorado

 

Colorado Springs tourism industry is one of the states largest employers, ranking number three in employment sectors below defense and high-tech industry careers. Due to Colorado Springs scenic location in close proximity to Pikes Peak and the Rocky Mountains, it is an ideal tourist destination. The tourism and hospitality industries in Colorado Springs have generated roughly 16,000 jobs in the prior year and nearly 5,000,000 visitors annually. An estimated $1.35 billion in revenue is generated solely by Colorado Springs tourism industry.

 

Colorado Springs offers roughly 55 attractions and activities in the general area including the Garden of the Gods, United States Air Force Academy, the ANA Money Museum, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Old Colorado City, the U.S. Olympic Training Center and many more. Downtown Colorado Springs offers a variety of employment opportunities to the hospitality, leisure, restaurant and visitor information center presence.

 

Religious institutions hold a special place in the city as Colorado Springs has earned its nickname as the Christian Mecca and the Evangelical Vatican of America. A large influx of evangelical Christians and other Christian organizations in prior years have accounted for a wide array of houses of worship and religious institutions in the city. Colorado Springs currently is home to roughly 81 headquarters of different religious organizations, making religion-related jobs among the city’s most profitable and widespread.

 

A strong military presence to the nearby sites including the United States Air Force Academy, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever Air Force Base and Fort Carson Army Base afforded many opportunities to branch into the military/defense industry on varying levels.

 

Additional key industries in the city of Colorado Springs include: Back Office/Customer Support, Food Services, Telecommunications, Business Support, Financial Services, Information Technology, Hospitality, Insurance, Healthcare, Cybersecurity, Manufacturing, Aerospace/Aviation, Medical Innovation, Non Profits.

Colleges & Vocational Schools

 

University of Colorado

the Colorado Springs chapter of this university is part of the state university system of Colorado. As of 2014, the estimated student population at this university was roughly 11,000 undergraduates in 1700 graduate students. Roughly 26% of students were ethnic minorities. The University's undergraduate tuitions and fees for in-state students is roughly $7462 and $17,494 for out-of-state students as of the year 2014. The university's total enrollment was roughly 11,130 students as of 2014 and the University's acceptance rate is roughly 92.4% as of 2014.Located at 1420 Austin Bluffs Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, this university can be contacted at: (719) 255-8227 or found on the web at: www.uccs.edu.

 

United States Air Force Academy

Affiliated with the United States Air Force, this military Academy provides officer cadet training programs for the United States Air Force. The campus holds headquarters in the Western United States and Colorado. in the area north of Colorado Springs and El Paso County the University's motto is “integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do.” The academy’s acceptance rate is roughly 12.3% as of 2016 and the total enrollment was roughly 3952 students as of 2014. Located at U.S. Air Force Academy, CO 80840, this the Academy can be reached at: Acceptance rate: (719) 333-2025 or found on the web at: www.academyadmissions.com

 

Colorado College

this Liberal arts College is a private college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains and offers over 80 majors, minors and specialty programs including feminist and gender studies, biochemistry, Southwest studies, Asian studies, environmental science studies, Latin studies, American cultural studies, Russian and Eurasian studies in neuroscience. The college also offers programs in Master of Arts in teaching and across the curriculum writing programs. The average undergraduate tuition and fees for students is roughly $48,996 as of 2015 and the college’s overall acceptance rate is roughly 15.8% as of 2016. Located at 14 E Cache La Poudre St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903, this college can be reached at: (719) 389-6000 or found on the web at: https://www.coloradocollege.edu

 

Job Growth in Colorado Springs, Colorado

 

Though there has been a decline in the oil and gas industries over the past two years, Colorado Springs maintains a consistently strengthening economy. The majority of the area's fourth-quarter gain stemmed from jobs within the health care and social assistance sector. These sectors grew by 5.4% from the fourth quarter of 2013. Employing roughly 35,838 individuals as of 2014, roughly 1836 new jobs were developed within this sector. This accounted for roughly 30% of the overall 6143 jobs added to the Colorado Springs local economy during this quarter.

Additional industries on the rise included tourism, professional and technical service and construction industries. Economists predict the growth rate will continue to soar over the next few years across the state’s six metropolitan areas; Colorado Springs especially. Colorado Springs is estimated to fall in the middle of the seven top metro areas for job growth in the years to come.

 

As of 2016, the Colorado Springs unemployment rate was roughly 4.50% and the job growth rate was roughly 1.40%. The estimated job growth over the next 10 years is predicted to be 38.30%, above the national average. In Colorado Springs, the sales tax rate is roughly 8.25% in the income tax rate is roughly 4.63%. The income per capita including adults and children is roughly $29,355 and the median household income is roughly 54,228; also above the national average.

 

Weighed against the national averages in the United States, Colorado Springs statistics are as follows:

 

- Income Taxes 4.63%
- Income per Cap. $29,355
- Household Income $54,228
- Family Median Income $68,580

- Unemployment Rate 4.50%
- Recent Job Growth 1.40%
- Future Job Growth 38.30%
- Sales Taxes 8.25%

 

Top Employers in Colorado Springs

 

El Paso County has experienced a fair share of job growth since the third quarter of 2015, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. Employees within the county have added jobs during the third quarter at roughly a 3.3% annual rate. This rate is the fastest since 2001. Among the county's fastest-growing sectors are healthcare, retail and business, professional services and restaurants. During the third quarter of 2015, 68% of the county's job growth came from a combination of these industries. Within each sector, roughly 1000 jobs were added in the last 12 months and an annual growth rate of roughly 3.5% allowed Colorado Springs to exceed expectations.

Additional major job growth sectors included call centers, construction and other services. Top employers in the city include: Alorica, Colomex, Inc., Colorado College, Comcast, Compassion International, DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Harris Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Microchip Technology, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Oracle America, Inc., Penrose-St. Francis/Centura Health, Progressive Insurance Company, The Broadmoor Hotel, Time Warner Cable, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., United Services Automobile Association, Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Wells Fargo and Xerox

 

Resources in Colorado Springs

http://gazette.com/building-momentum-colorado-springs-area-job-growth-exceeds-statewide-average/article/1570756

Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC. “Industry Experts with Pikes Peak Roots.” 2017.
http://coloradospringschamberedc.com/doing-business/major-employers/

https://www.coloradosprings.gov

http://www.coloradospringsforward.org/government