About Us

Colorado Career Development Association - A Strong and Thriving Organization The Colorado Career Development Association (CCDA) is a state affiliate of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), and a division of the Colorado Counseling Association (CCA).

Our organization exists to serve those who have an interest in career and workforce development issues in Colorado. This encompasses a broad community of practitioners in many different arenas, such as:

• Government
• Higher education
• Business and industry
• K-12 school settings
• Military
• Private Practice
• Non-profit organizations

Career and workforce development professionals have many different titles, including career counselor, career coach, guidance counselor, school-to-career specialist, career development facilitator, case manager, employment specialist, and HR specialist. Our educational and experiential backgrounds vary, as do the licenses and certifications that we hold.

CCDA promotes a membership that reflects this diversity and attempts to reach out to these various groups by providing valuable training, as well as leadership and relationship-building opportunities.

 An important message to CCDA members and career professionals.

Dear Friends,

Colorado is a great place to live, work, and play!  It has evolved into one of the country's healthiest and most vibrant and highly educated populations.  During the 1990's Colorado arguably had one of the top-performing economies in the United States, driven by strong high-tech industry, job growth, and net migration. 

In 2009, all sectors of the Colorado economy are feeling the drag caused by the national and global downturn.  Looking ahead, Colorado's resilient economy will allow the state to weather the economic storm better than many other states due to the following:

• The fundamentals of the Colorado economy remain strong, despite the downturn.  As the economy has grown over the past 30 years, it has become very diverse.
• With the exception of construction, the projected job declines are broad- based and relatively shallow.  The recovery of these industries should be more short term.
• Over the past 20 years, the perception of Colorado as evolved.  Today, it is a state that is recognized for its college and professional sports teams, performing arts center, Nobel laureate and intellectual firepower, and creative energy.  That image was further enhanced with the successful hosting of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
• While the downturn has temporarily reduced the number of tourists who come to enjoy the natural beauty of the state, it has not affected the reason they like to visit.  They will return!
• Colorado housing and commercial markets will remain a solid buy, particularly compared to the coasts.
• Colorado's population growth will remain in the range of 1.5%-2.0% for the foreseeable future.
• Colorado will continue to have a highly educated workforce.  While efforts have increased to "grow our own", population growth will be bolstered in part by the continuing need to attract workers from other states and countries.
• Advanced technology will continue to play an integral, yet evolving role in the state.

We will all feel the effects of the current downturn throughout 2009; however, a strong case can be made that Colorado will weather the economic "storm".

The Colorado Career Development Association has been a strong, growing organization for over 10 years.  In these tenuous times, the need for career development professionals is growing enormously, and the field itself has been gaining prominence.  As more professionals and members of the public realize the important role that career planning plays in people's lives, CCDA will be here into the future to help facilitate this process.

Please join us for the CCDA fall conference "Strategies for Succeeding in Today's Emerging Economy" on October 16^th, 2009 for a more in depth look at this topic and a host of others.

Warm Regards,

Sandra Rosewell

President of the Colorado Career Development Association

Sources Referenced:

- 2009 Colorado Business Economic Outlook                   - Governor Bill Ritter's Executive Summary