Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — April 2026
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
We are pleased to present a selection of our work from the past month.
If a colleague shared this newsletter with you, consider subscribing to our mailing list or connecting on social media. To learn more about our work, visit aspeninstitute.org/eop.
Publications
- Shared Success Final Evaluation Reports by Tim Ogden, Barbara Magnoni, and Tracy Cole
- The Care Catalyst: How Child Care Benefits Make the Difference in Retention for Small Businesses by Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America
- De-Risking the Future: How Small Businesses Can Leverage Outcomes-Based Financing to Build Resilient Talent Pipelines by Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America
- What We Learned: A Conversation on Employer-Led Upskilling for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses by Haley Glover and Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America
- Final Lessons: Insights from the 2025 Workforce Leadership Academies by Alison Yost and Haley Glover, UpSkill America
- Shared Success Infographic by Bryn Morgan
- Upskilling Playbook: Getting Started with Apprenticeship by Annelies Goger, UpSkill America
Click here to view more publications.
Commentary
- Re-introducing the Job Quality Center of Excellence by Merrit Stüven
Click here to view more commentary.
Videos
- Reimagining Workforce and Economic Development in the South, featuring Job Quality Fellows Kim Eckert (Craft Education / Western Governors University), Colby Hall (Craft Philanthropy), Daniel Marshall (Alabama Center for Employee Ownership / Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.), Laurie Mays (Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Foundation), and moderator Matt Helmer (The Aspen Institute).
- Leading Change for Skills: Champions Across the Workforce Ecosystem, Leah Palmer (Maricopa County Community College District), Tiffany Mangum (Fresno Housing), and moderator Dee Wallace (Aspen Institute).
- Coming of Age at Work: Good Jobs for Teens, featuring opening remarks from Matt Helmer (Aspen Institute) and Gabby Smith (Plate it Forward), followed by a panel discussion with Jessica Martinez (National Council for Occupational Safety and Health), Mandee Polonsky (Northwestern Memorial HealthCare), John Valverde (YouthBuild Global), Taylor White (New America), and moderator Mike Swigert (Aspen Institute).
Click here to view more videos. Click here to subscribe.
Podcasts
- Reimagining Workforce and Economic Development in the South, featuring Job Quality Fellows Kim Eckert (Craft Education / Western Governors University), Colby Hall (Craft Philanthropy), Daniel Marshall (Alabama Center for Employee Ownership / Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.), Laurie Mays (Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Foundation), and moderator Matt Helmer (The Aspen Institute).
- Leading Change for Skills: Champions Across the Workforce Ecosystem, Leah Palmer (Maricopa County Community College District), Tiffany Mangum (Fresno Housing), and moderator Dee Wallace (Aspen Institute).
- Coming of Age at Work: Good Jobs for Teens, featuring opening remarks from Matt Helmer (Aspen Institute) and Gabby Smith (Plate it Forward), followed by a panel discussion with Jessica Martinez (National Council for Occupational Safety and Health), Mandee Polonsky (Northwestern Memorial HealthCare), John Valverde (YouthBuild Global), Taylor White (New America), and moderator Mike Swigert (Aspen Institute).
Click here to view more podcasts. Click here to subscribe.
Newsletters
- Resource Roundup: Job Quality in the South by Maxwell Johnson
- Upcoming Events — April 2026 by Economic Opportunities Program staff
- Monthly Digest — March 2026 by Economic Opportunities Program staff
Click here to view more newsletters. Click here to subscribe.
Upcoming Events
- May 7 — Investing in Job Quality in the South (free, online)
- May 19 — When Work Isn’t Enough: Improving Job Quality for ALICE Households (free, online)
- June 2-3, 2026 — Employee Ownership Ideas Forum ($100 in person, free online).
Click here to view more events.
About the Monthly Digest
The Economic Opportunities Program’s Monthly Digest newsletter is a recap of public activities from the past month, including new publications, commentary, videos, podcasts, news clips, and more. Click here to subscribe.
About the Economic Opportunities Program
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.
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Videos
Work and the Social Contract in the Age of AI: How did we get here?
“Social contract” has quickly become one of the most-used, least-defined phrases in the AI policy conversation. This first event in a two-part series will trace the origin and history of the American social contract, examining how work became the anchor of economic security, mobility, and civic identity in the United States.
Videos
Disposable Workers: A Book Talk with MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman
For decades, economists and policymakers have debated how to help workers get better jobs. But what if the more fundamental problem is that employers have systematically redesigned work itself to make a third of the workforce expendable? In his forthcoming book, “Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment,” MIT Sloan Professor Emeritus Paul Osterman examines this idea and what it would take to reverse it.
The Workforce of the Future Starts with Adult Basic Education
To create a future-ready workforce system, we must move beyond outdated credentials and analog processes to one that is skills-first, transparent, data-driven, and aligned with the evolving needs of workers, educators, and employers.
Foundational Skills: Early Insights from Employers and Providers
This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.
Videos
How Tax Policy Can Help Employers Expand Access to Learning
In this interview, Chelsea Miller of Upskill America speaks with Nick Greif of InStride about how employers can design education benefits that are more accessible, strategic, and aligned with workforce goals.
