DENVER — Leaders from Colorado’s area technical colleges told the Joint Budget Committee that short, workforce‑focused programs produce high placement rates and near‑immediate earnings gains, but that a persistent lack of instructional space, instructors and equipment limits the number of students they can serve.

Emily Griffith Technical College, Pickens Technical College and the Technical College of the Rockies presented collective data showing long waitlists in several programs: cosmetology, allied health and welding appeared among the most constrained. Panelists said many students cannot begin training for months and that the colleges do not have capacity to serve every applicant.

“We put people to work,” one director told the committee, summarizing placement rates in the mid‑80s and higher. The panelists emphasized a policy point repeatedly made this week: area technical colleges generally do not rely on student loans, keep tuition intentionally low, and generate rapid returns to graduates and local employers.

The panel cited recent one‑time ARPA and state investments that funded accelerated cohorts in nursing and allied health and said those projects produced strong return‑on‑investment metrics — including examples where each dollar invested generated many multiples in initial graduate earnings.

Why it matters: Area technical colleges supply technicians, certified nursing assistants, welders, commercial drivers and other workers that local economies need. Long waitlists translate directly into unfilled local vacancies and slower employer hiring; expanding capacity could speed workforce growth.

Ending: The panel asked the committee to consider investments that expand instructional space, allow hiring of additional instructors and fund equipment so waitlists can be cleared and more students can be trained in high‑demand fields.