Dear Colleagues,

We have some news! For the past five years, Skills for America's Future has been an important initiative of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Yesterday at " Celebrating Skills for America's Future" in Washington, DC, we announced the next step for this initiative: Skills for America's Future will now be led by Skills for Chicagoland's Future.
 
Skills for Chicagoland's Future is a long-time partner of the Aspen Institute. The organization has seen immense success helping unemployed and underemployed people access economic opportunities and return to work.  Through expansion of the model and thought leadership, Skills for America's Future will continue to focus on helping employers meet their needs and increasing economic mobility for the unemployed and underemployed in regions across the United States. More information of this effort can be found here .
 
As of May 2016, the Institute's work related to employer engagement and workforce development and education occurs under the auspices of the Economic Opportunities Program and its Workforce Strategies Initiative. Additionally, Upskill America, an initiative of the Economic Opportunities Program and an important legacy of Skills for America's Future, continues to highlight employer efforts to invest in the skills and economic opportunities of workers.
 
Of course, it is not easy to say goodbye. Skills for America's Future has made great strides at the Aspen Institute, addressing skills mismatch affecting businesses and workers and illustrating the power of cross-sector partnerships. We celebrated these accomplishments and more at this week's event, which featured Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Snap-On CEO and SAF Advisory Board Chair Nick Pinchuk, SAF Advisory Board Vice Chair Eva Sage-Gavin, President of the Joyce Foundation Ellen Alberding, and many more. We invite you to watch the full video of the event now.
 
We are excited for this next generation of Skills for America's Future, as well as ongoing work at the Economic Opportunities Program to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today's dynamic economy. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out by responding to this email.
 
Sincerely,
 
Maureen Conway
Vice President for Policy Programs, The Aspen Institute
Executive Director, Economic Opportunities Program
The Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) is a policy program at the Aspen Institute. Its primary mission is to advance promising strategies and policies to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today's dynamic economy. Over its more than 20 years of work, EOP has focused on expanding individuals' opportunities ----  to develop their skills and capabilities, to build professional networks and connect to quality work, to start businesses, and to build assets and economic stability. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/eop