Community College of Denver and the Regional Transportation District’s Workforce Initiative Now, or WIN program, will award $20,000 in scholarships to military veterans who want to attend college.

Last fall, WIN held a Stars and Strikes bowling tournament to raise scholarship funds for veterans, and the money is now available to active military members and honorably discharged veterans enrolled in the WIN program and attending or wish to attend CCD.

WIN is a workforce partnership led by RTD in coordination with founding partners CCD, the Urban League of Metro Denver and Denver Transit Partners, the concessionaire building three new rail lines under RTD’s 2004 voter-approved FasTracks transit expansion program.

The program provides demand-driven workforce services and pathways to careers in transportation and construction, working with a network of more than 50 training and resource organizations to assist workers in attaining and retaining positions in these high-growth industries.

“The WIN program helps people understand they are really not just looking for a job, they are looking for a meaningful career,” said Katrina Wert, director of the Center for Workforce Initiatives. “The goal of this scholarship is to give our veterans more educational opportunities and help them move into a better future.”

On average, WIN places 80 percent of participants in jobs, and successful workers go on to earn an average starting hourly wage of $16.50. Nearly 85 percent of participants are still working three months after successful completion of the career-development program.

Created by WIN partners in conjunction with the CCD Foundation, the new scholarship program aims to expand WIN’s veteran support services, and move men and women who have served our nation toward sustainable educational and career pathways.

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With more than 8,000 students, Community College of Denver (CCD) is the third largest community college in Colorado and a leading point of entry to higher education for the city and county of Denver. CCD provides a cost-effective, high-quality college education to nontraditional students, along with access and opportunity, workforce development, training resources for local organizations and community partnerships. CCD is a federally funded Hispanic-Serving Institution (HIS) and is one of 13 community colleges in the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). Learn more at CCD.edu.

*Photo usage courtesy of RTD