Hundreds of migrants participate in first day of Denver’s Work Ready program

For months, newcomers to Denver have expressed a desire to work, but a lack of legal documents has prevented many from being able to hold full-time jobs. More than 300 newcomers attended the WorkReady Denver program orientation on Thursday.

Thanks to this program, migrants will have the chance to work; This is all part of DASP, the Denver Asylum Seekers Program.

The WorkReady pilot program aims to help migrants obtain employment legally, while creating a pipeline for sectors facing significant labor shortages. Some of these industries include construction and hospitality.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the labor shortage is severe in Colorado, a state with 52 available workers for every 100 jobs. In May, the Denver City Council approved a $2.25 million contract to work with El Centro de Los Trabjadores Colorado, a worker center, to help with this mission.

For many migrants, it was like the first day of school when they learned about the program and embarked on a six-month journey. A trip to learn the language and acclimatize to their new environment.

Essentially, it’s a program that the city says could be a solution for both asylum seekers and businesses struggling to hire and retain staff.

A classroom full of aspiring employees is given the necessary tools, like a laptop, to navigate the WorkReady program. The program will provide individuals with a pathway to work authorization and access to education, training and employment opportunities.

People like program participant Kenia Ulloa say they are very grateful for the opportunity.

“I’m very grateful because we’re going to be able to take classes, they’re going to give us legal documents so we can work, move forward and raise our children,” Kenia said.

Like many of the migrants sitting in this classroom, Kenia left Venezuela with her two young children and her husband in hopes of a new life. Even if her heart remains heavy after leaving her 16-year-old son in Venezuela.

“It was a long journey, we went through the jungle, Mexico where they took our papers, but we are here, thank God,” Kenia said.

Some days they even slept in the street, but that is now a memory of the past. Kenia and her family are now focused on the future, and she hopes to be able to bring her 16-year-old son from Venezuela to the United States once she obtains her legal documents.

“My dream is to work, move forward in life and achieve my goals,” Kenia said.

This is a mission that the City and County of Denver want to contribute to through their work with El Centro de Los Trabjadores.

Mayra Juárez-Denis is the executive director of the organization and believes this model is essential not only for survival, but also for creating a pipeline that directs talent to jobs facing significant labor shortages .

“The goal is to begin integrating our immigrant workers into the labor market, especially in sectors that are experiencing labor shortages,” Juárez-Denis said.

These sectors include, but are not limited to, construction, healthcare and early childhood education.

It’s a model the organization created a year ago to help nearly 1,000 newcomers find full-time employment, jobs that pay $20 an hour.

“As the city saw the success of this worker model, we came together to expand our efforts through the Denver Asylum Seeker Program,” Juárez-Denis said.

The program is divided into three phases: the first participants will learn basic skills such as financial and digital literacy, and take English as a second language and cultural integration courses.

The next phase will be industry-focused training and the final phase will be securing employment and ongoing guidance from the organization.

“They will then be part of our worker center, so they will continue to have support as workers throughout their journey,” Juárez-Denis said.

At least one adult per household registered with DASP must commit to 20 hours of weekly work-ready training. Classes will take place online and in person.

The program aims to provide transportation and even child care, if participants need it. Participants are expected to enter the workforce by January 2025.

AT&T provided 700 laptops and more than $90,000 in funding directly to Centro to provide digital literacy classes. The city will also provide families with access to cell phones.

The program will run until June 2025.