First Broadcom employees to earn certificates from Front Range in partnership

FORT COLLINS — The first group of Broadcom Inc. employees who took advantage of free classes at their worksite will graduate this month with their certificates in electronics assembly.

This was due in part to a partnership between Front Range Community College and Broadcom, whose leaders wanted to create an avenue for their employees to advance their positions at the company. Broadcom requires at least a two-year degree for employees to advance to an equipment or facility technician role. But they report that nearly half of their 1,000 fabrication employees do not meet this requirement, according to a news release from Front Range.  

“This is a really exciting partnership for Broadcom,” Carrie Pelton, vice president of Fabrication Operations for Broadcom, said in the release. “Through the FRCC program, we make it easier for our employees to complete their associate degrees, and in the end, Broadcom gets highly-trained workers. It’s a win-win scenario.”

Broadcom already provides tuition assistance and encourages employees to enroll in FRCC’s Automation Engineering Technology and Electronics Engineering Technology programs, which are offered at Front Range’s Center for Integrated Manufacturing in Longmont, according to the release.

Front Range leaders opted to take classes to Broadcom to help employees attain their college coursework.

With their certificates in hand, the employees can now take additional coursework to earn an associate’s degree.

“FRCC has a long history of working closely with industry partners to address employee upskilling and reskilling needs,” said Janel Highfill, FRCC’s associate vice president of workforce development, in the release. “We are excited about this evolution in our partnership — expanding beyond non-credit training to offer college credit toward certificate and degree credentials on-site for Broadcom employees.”

Whatever the industry, FRCC’s Corporate Solutions team reports they will work with employers to come up with educational solutions for their workforce. 

“We will continue to evolve with every new collaboration,” says FRCC’s Associate Vice President of Workforce Development Janel Highfill, in the release. “By constantly exploring new models with our partners, FRCC will continue to find innovative new approaches that work for local industry, our students and the Colorado economy.”