Colorado COVID Corps: University Of Denver Helping Connect People With Essential Jobs

DENVER (CBS4) - COVID-19 has spurred massive job layoffs across the state, but it's also created thousands of shortages. And as people go on the hunt for new openings, the University of Denver wants to help connect people with essential jobs.

The project is tentatively being called the Colorado COVID Corps. So far the University has already partnered with 14 other colleges and universities to identify where there are positions. Jobs range from sales associate and warehouse worker to hospital administration staff and roles in food management.

"So we're trying to create a real centralized place where you can find all these jobs that are deemed essential right now. There's a lot of conservation corps, America Corps, there's the Peace Corps, there's a lot of corps around the world and in our country that are employing people to be in these really great service-based jobs but none that are specific to these kinds of roles," Nina Sharma, Project X-ite Managing Director said.

Sharma is helping with the project but students are the ones running it.

"We want this to be a statewide program and then we're having university students build it, they're ideally going to be the ones who are graduating into a potential role with this course. So, we're having them do all of the branding, naming, Colorado COVID Corp is a working title, and having them really build out the database for where all these jobs are."

Sharma also told CBS 4 the group is also in talks with companies to offer on the job training to those who wouldn't otherwise have skills to consider a job. You can check back here for more information - https://projectxite.org/. DU hopes to launch a new website and platform in about a month.