When Upwardly Global (UpGlo) expanded its work in Colorado, the organization identified opportunities with three local institutions: TechNation, Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, and Emily Griffith Technical College. Each was already serving immigrant and refugee professionals, knew of each other, and had collaborated in the past. What would happen if they formed a true collaborative learning cohort? Nearly two years later, the answer is clear: a thriving, powerful community-rooted model, with each organization integrating UpGlo’s resources in its own way while learning from one another to improve outcomes for jobseekers in Colorado.

Building a Cohort Model Rooted in Partnership

UpGlo began a cohort with these partners in 2024 to facilitate shared knowledge, strategic coordination, and access to high-impact career-readiness tools. At monthly meetings, the organizations exchanged insights, explored challenges, and celebrated successes.

“Being able to provide a space for three organizations to come together and learn from one another has been really spectacular,” explained Gabriella Cipriani, Senior Workforce Partnerships Manager for Upwardly Global. “Every time I leave a monthly meeting and hear about the work they are doing, I leave feeling inspired. They are stepping into this cohort by being true leaders in this work, and I’m grateful I get to learn from them.”

Nearly halfway through year two of the partnership, the cohort is already 47% of the way to its annual enrollment goal, with job placements occurring across all sites, each one resulting in meaningful salary growth for the candidates.

TechNation: Strengthening Onboarding and Career Confidence in Tech

TechNation works with internationally trained professionals seeking to reenter careers in the technology sector. Many of their participants hold advanced degrees but face “brain waste,” working far below their qualifications due to unfamiliar job search norms, limited networks, or credential bias.

To address this, TechNation integrates UpGlo’s orientation training into onboarding for every candidate, ensuring they gain foundational U.S. job search knowledge before starting tech coursework or career coaching.

“The access to the onboarding and training software gives our candidates a chance to learn soft skills on their own before they connect with TechNation staff,” Steve Goslee, Executive Director for TechNation, shared. “This empowers our team to focus on individual support rather than starting from square one. Upwardly Global has become synonymous with how we work with New Americans and how we serve them better.”

TechNation has also seen powerful individual outcomes, such as a participant who recently earned an AI 360 certificate through UpGlo skilling and secured a new role as a Customer Support Engineer.

Spring Institute: Supporting Healthcare Professionals Returning to the Field

Spring Institute’s Career Pathways programs, including Colorado Welcome Back and Colorado Works for International Physicians, help internationally trained healthcare professionals reenter the workforce. The organization has integrated UpGlo’s healthcare-specific modules into its cohort model to reinforce resume preparation, networking, and interview readiness.

“We appreciated having career services that are tailored for immigrant and refugee professionals. Our population manages different challenges, and UpGlo’s training addressed barriers like language, family obligations, and navigating unfamiliar systems,” Jenny Jessup, Workforce Development Coordinator and Career Coach at Spring Institute, said.

Spring Institute found that the repetition of learning online, reviewing in coaching sessions, and practicing in workshops has helped participants internalize professional confidence. Their participants also benefit from skilling resources like Coursera, National Healthcareer Association, and English First Live.

Jessup also believes the cohort model in Colorado created a powerful camaraderie between the organizations.

“We were able to strategize and problem-solve together. Our clients have a lot in common but also have distinct needs, so it was helpful to brainstorm and learn from each other’s approaches,” Jessup noted.

Emily Griffith Technical College: Expanding Pathways and Capacity

Emily Griffith Technical College (Emily Griffith) offers several areas of study, including Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificate programs, Apprenticeship, and English Language Acquisition. Emily Griffith’s CAREERS program prepares refugees and immigrants for reentry into their career fields and integration into Colorado’s workforce by finding fulfilling career paths. UpGlo’s resources have become a key component of enrollment, job readiness, and upskilling pathways.

Emily Griffith Career Services Manager, Tiffany Jaramillo, agreed with Jessup that the cohort offers a great way to collaborate and strategize.

“We knew the value of Upwardly Global. The cohort helped us learn how TechNation and Spring Institute were using the platform. We’re all implementing the resources differently, and that’s been helpful; it gives us ideas to try. We trust each other’s work, so when someone has a good idea, we know it’s worth adopting,” Jaramillo explained.

Emily Griffith now regularly hosts enrollment sessions for new participants, creating a peer community along the way.

A Model to Continue and Scale

What makes the Colorado cohort remarkable is not just shared tools, but shared leadership. Each organization remains rooted in its mission while benefiting from collective insight and mutual reinforcement.

Together, these partners are demonstrating what is possible when immigrant and refugee-serving organizations collaborate and strengthen their ecosystem. Through shared learning and coordinated support, jobseekers gain confidence and clarity in navigating their career paths, while career coaches can expand their capacity and access new tools that strengthen their programming. At the same time, communities benefit as more internationally trained professionals can reenter the workforce in roles aligned with their education and expertise. The Colorado cohort model is aligned, turning energy into action and shared resources into real progress for jobseekers, organizations, and the region at large.

This cohort is just the beginning. If you organization is building equitable pathways for immigrant professionals in Colorado, we’d love to partner with you. Connect with us to explore next steps.