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Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — July 2026

July 31, 2026
Economic Opportunities Program

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

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Commentary

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Videos

Unlocking Scale: How Smarter Place-Based Strategies Can Future-Proof Youth Opportunity, featuring UpSkill America Director of Research Annelies Goger in conversation with Samia Amin (AIR), Cory Trimm (Nava PBC), Tamara Johnson (Per Scholas), Rachel Korberg (Intermediary Ed), and moderator Stephanie Veck (AIR). Hosted on June 25 by UpSkill America in partnership with the American Institutes for Research. 

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In the News

New Tamu-Cc, Corpus Christi Medical Center Program Pays Nursing Students During Clinical Training. Writing for KIII, Natalia Osuna spotlights Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s paid clinical training model for nursing students. The effort builds on the university’s participation in UpSkill America’s Streamlining Success in Nursing Programs in Texas, developed in collaboration with the Trellis Foundation. 

Employers are looking for validation. Is it easier to find than we think? In this blog for Jobs that Work, Nick Beadle explores how employers assess job candidates’ skills and what stands in the way of skills-first hiring. Throughout the piece, he draws on findings from UpSkill America’s The Case for Validated Skills: What Employers Want and Need to examine what employers say they need to build confidence in workers’ skills. 

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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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