Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — July 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
- From Crisis to Continuity: Optimizing CDFI Capital and Partnerships for Natural Disaster Response by Joyce Klein, Business Ownership Initiative
Click here to view more publications.
Commentary
- What Will We Make of It? by Chris Huyck Trout, UpSkill America
- People at the Center – How We Think About Designing Systems Change for Impact by Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America
Click here to view more commentary.
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.
Click here to view more videos. Click here to subscribe.
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.
Newsletters
- Resource Roundup: The American Dream at 250 and the Future of Labor by Maxwell Johnson
- Upcoming Events — July 2026
- Monthly Digest — June 2026
Click here to view more newsletters. Click here to subscribe.
Upcoming Events
- August 18 — The Impact of Foundational Skills on Workforce Success (free, online).
- August 26 — Metrics that Matter: Improving Financial Analysis of CDFI Small Business Lenders (free, online).
- September 9 — Disposable Workers: A Book Talk with MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman (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.
Join Our Mailing List
To receive occasional emails about our work — including new publications, commentary, events, fellowships, and more — join our mailing list.
Connect on Social Media
For news and updates every day, connect with us on the social media platform of your choice.
Work and the Social Contract in the Age of AI: How did we get here?
Disposable Workers: A Book Talk with MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman
The Workforce of the Future Starts with Adult Basic Education
Foundational Skills: Early Insights from Employers and Providers
