Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
SWCEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 that bridges K-12 education and industry across eight rural Southwest Colorado school districts, serving ~9,000 students with work-based learning, equipment lending, and the Career Launch Southwest employer platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersDurango, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative does
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative (SWCEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education collaborative founded in 2019 and headquartered at 1000 Rim Drive, Jones 150, Durango, Colorado. It bridges K-12 education with industry across rural Southwest Colorado, serving approximately 9,000 K-12 students and 2,785 high school students across eight partner school districts (Archuleta, Bayfield, Durango, Ignacio, Silverton, Dolores, Dove Creek, and Mancos). 46% of the student population experiences higher-than-average poverty and 11% are Native American. SWCEC operates a small team of three staff — Executive Director Patrick Fredricks, Counselor Coordinator Steve Otter, and Program Operations Manager Dusty Grannis — and is governed by a board that includes district superintendents, higher education leaders, a tribal representative, a parent representative, and an industry representative.
SWCEC's product surface comprises work-based learning programs (job shadows, career fairs, internships, Summer Institutes including Behind the Drywall, Environmental Careers Institute, and Health Careers Institute), shared courses, sector partnerships, Futures Fairs, an Online Equipment Library built on the third-party myTurn web-based lending platform, and the Career Launch Southwest virtual platform launched in early 2024 to connect students with regional employers offering work-based learning opportunities. The organization partners with Fort Lewis College, Pueblo Community College, four tribal nations (Navajo Nation, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Jicarilla Apache Nation), San Juan BOCES, and the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce, which together house the regional Sector Partnership Convener role under SWCEC.
SWCEC generates no commercial revenue; programs are delivered free to partner schools, students, and employers. Funding derives from charitable donations and grants, anchored by a $3.6 million state award in November 2020 to build career pathways in building trades and environmental sciences, supplemented by Colorado Workforce Development Council sector-partnership convener funding and ongoing donations. Distribution occurs through direct partner-district relationships, the myTurn self-serve equipment portal, the Career Launch Southwest self-serve employer platform, sector-partnership convenings, and counselor-coordinated shared-course referrals.
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
- Legal name
- Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
- Website
- https://swcoedcollaborative.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SWCEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 that bridges K-12 education and industry across eight rural Southwest Colorado school districts, serving ~9,000 students with work-based learning, equipment lending, and the Career Launch Southwest employer platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways) (EDAMALAN)
Keywords
Where Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durango
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and charitable contributions: The organization accepts charitable donations to fund career-connected learning opportunities, equipment, supplies, and transportation for rural and underrepresented students. The nonprofit was established as a 501(c)(3) in early 2021.
- Government grants: In November 2020, SWCEC was awarded $3.6 million to support building stronger educational pathways for students interested in building trades and environmental sciences. This state award funded the collaborative's establishment and programming.
- Sector partnership convener funding: The Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) awarded a grant to the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce to hire a regional sector partnership Convener, with SWCEC implementing the program for the region. The Sector Convener position is housed under SWCEC's umbrella.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative (SWCEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that bridges education and industry in rural Southwest Colorado. It delivers work-based learning programs (job shadows, career fairs, summer institutes), shared courses across districts, sector partnerships with employers, an online equipment lending library via myTurn, and the Career Launch Southwest virtual platform connecting students with work-based learning opportunities across eight rural school districts.
Product overview
The Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative (SWCEC) is a nonprofit education collaborative offering a portfolio of educational programs and services rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include Work-Based Learning Programs (job shadows, career fairs, internships), the Career Launch Southwest platform (a virtual connection tool for workforce development), Shared Courses across multiple pathways, Summer Institutes (Behind the Drywall, Environmental Careers Institute, Health Careers Institute), an Online Equipment Library via myTurn, and Futures Fairs. These programs serve approximately 9,000 K-12 students across eight rural school districts in Southwest Colorado, connecting education with industry to create career pathways.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Career Launch Southwest: A virtual tool sponsored by the Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative that connects industry with the region's students to promote workforce development by providing work-based learning opportunities.
Products and services
- Career Launch Southwest A virtual platform sponsored by SWCEC that connects industry with students to promote workforce development. Employers register to offer work-based learning opportunities; students explore career pathways; educators facilitate connections across Southwest Colorado.
- Work-Based Learning Programs Comprehensive work-based learning activities including job shadows, career fairs, career days, hands-on experiences at job sites, and internships with industry partners across five career pathways for K-12 students in Southwest Colorado.
- Shared Courses Shared course offerings across multiple career pathways for the 2024-2025 school year, including course sequences and potential career alignments for students across the eight partner districts, accessed through counselor referrals.
- Sector Partnerships Industry-driven convenings of business leaders from shared labor market regions working with education, workforce agencies, and community organizations to address regional workforce development needs. Sector Convener position housed under SWCEC.
- Online Equipment Library (myTurn) Web-based portal for educators to browse and check out professional-grade equipment that no single rural district could afford independently, integrating industry-grade technology into curricula across partner schools.
- Summer Institutes Immersive career exploration programs connecting students with industry experts, including Behind the Drywall (construction trades), Environmental Careers Institute, and Health Careers Institute.
- Futures Fairs Events connecting middle and high school students with local employers, higher education institutions, and training providers to explore career pathways through hands-on activities and demonstrations across multiple counties.
Quantifiable outcome
- ~9,000 K-12 students served across the region
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Pagosa Springs Chamber of CommercecoreThe Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) awarded the Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce a grant to hire a regional sector partnership Convener. The Chamber partnered with SWCEC to implement this program for the Southwest Colorado region. The Sector Convener position is housed under the umbrella of SWCEC.
- San Juan BOCES (SJBOCES)coreSWCEC partners with San Juan BOCES to support the region's educators. Steve Otter's regionally collaborative position at SWCEC represents this partnership, connecting BOCES resources with SWCEC programming.
- Career Launch Southwest platform partnersminorAny business or organization in Southwest Colorado that wants to participate and help expand work-based learning opportunities can register on the Career Launch Southwest platform (careerlaunchsw.org). Registration is open to all eligible businesses and organizations in the region.
- myTurn (Equipment Lending Platform)coreSWCEC uses the myTurn web-based portal (swcoedcollaborative.myturn.com) for its Online Equipment Library, allowing educators to browse and check out professional-grade equipment for curriculum integration.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CareerWise Colorado: Colorado-based nonprofit building statewide youth apprenticeship and career pathways connecting K-12, higher education, and industry. Operates a similar bridge model between education and employers with state-level scope; SWCEC represents a regional mini-version of this statewide model.
- CareerConnect (Arizona): Nonprofit coordinating career-connected learning for high school students across Arizona, including shared courses, work-based learning, and industry partnerships. Mirrors SWCEC's bridging model with similar emphasis on shared resources across districts and employer engagement.
- San Juan BOCES (SJBOCES): Educational Service Agency (BOCES) covering the same Southwest Colorado region. SWCEC explicitly partners with SJBOCES, and Steve Otter's counselor coordinator role bridges both organizations. Functions as a parallel regional education support body sharing similar district partners.
- Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative: Educational cooperative serving rural Appalachian Kentucky school districts with shared services, workforce development, and career pathways. Directly comparable as a rural multi-district education services organization with similar poverty and rural geography challenges.
- Rural Schools Collaborative: National nonprofit supporting place-based rural education partnerships and pathways, with explicit focus on rural regions like Southwest Colorado. Comparable in mission and target geographies, with shared emphasis on community-led rural education improvement.
Broad incumbents
- Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit driving workforce and education transformation, including the Pathways to Prosperity network. Operates at broader scope with policy advocacy, but is highly relevant as the macro framework provider for many regional pathway collaboratives including SWCEC-style models.
- Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit bridging education and employer demand through skills training and work-based learning. Comparable in the education-to-employment bridge function, though Year Up focuses on young adults rather than K-12 students.
Regional players
- Tennessee Pathways (TN Department of Education initiative): State-led initiative to expand career pathways across Tennessee high schools, organizing regional collaboratives of districts, higher education, and employers. Operates at greater scale but with the same structural model SWCEC embodies in Southwest Colorado.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative social profiles
Digital presenceSouthwest Colorado Education Collaborative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative
What does Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative do?
The Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative (SWCEC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that bridges education and industry in rural Southwest Colorado. It delivers work-based learning programs (job shadows, career fairs, summer institutes), shared courses across districts, sector partnerships with employers, an online equipment lending library via myTurn, and the Career Launch Southwest virtual platform connecting students with work-based learning opportunities across eight rural school districts.
Is Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative a public or private company?
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative founded?
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative based?
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative is headquartered in Durango, United States, in the North America region.
How does Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and charitable contributions are the primary driver. The others are government grants and sector partnership convener funding.
Who are Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CareerWise Colorado, CareerConnect (Arizona), San Juan BOCES (SJBOCES), Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative and Rural Schools Collaborative. Broad incumbents are Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Year Up. Tennessee Pathways (TN Department of Education initiative) is listed as a regional player.
Does Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative.
What industry is Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative in?
Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative's product category is Education Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADABAC, Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units), with a secondary code of EDAMALAN, College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.