(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Pikes Peak Business & Education Alliance (PPBEA) said it is more difficult than ever to recruit, hire, and retain staff.

PPBEA works to alleviate the gap between a skills mismatch between job descriptions and available candidates and introduce the region’s future workforce/talent pipeline to a variety of possible jobs in numerous industries.

Bob Gemignani, director of the PPBEA said it believes all students and their parents/guardians deserve to know the facts about jobs and careers in a rapidly changing economic landscape.

PPBEA celebrated 47 interns from 10 local school districts who participated in 18 businesses across El Paso and Teller Counties at an event on Monday, Aug. 12 at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center.

“The more exposure Generation Z has to the many options for educational and work-based learning paths, the better they can make informed decisions about training, certifications or the potential need for post-secondary education.”