Editorial: Business must improve labor skills or suffer

Northern Colorado pats itself on the back for having a highly skilled work force. In reality, much ground remains to be covered for that statement to be true in all occupations.

As NCBR writers Jim Sample and Brian Metzler relates in this month’s edition, business leaders in a variety of industries, from Eastman Kodak Co. to Starpak Inc., have expressed grave concerns about shortages of qualified labor.

Many companies are unable to fill positions because applicants either aren’t qualified or don’t even bother to show up for interviews. The problem is so severe that chambers of commerce in Fort Collins, Greeley and…