The Economic Opportunities Program takes a variety of approaches to expanding opportunity, including projects, initiatives, fellowships, and events.

Join our mailing list and follow us on social media for regular updates on our work.


Projects and Initiatives

Job Quality Center of Excellence

The Job Quality Center of Excellence offers tools, resources, and guidance on job quality for those working to build a more equitable and sustainable economy. jobqualitycenter.org

Business Ownership Initiative

The Business Ownership Initiative works to build understanding and strengthen the role of business ownership as an economic opportunity strategy. as.pn/boi

UpSkill America

UpSkill America supports employers and workforce organizations to expand and improve high-quality educational and career advancement opportunities for America’s front-line workers. as.pn/upskill

Shared Success

Working in partnership with selected CDFIs, Shared Success aims to improve job quality at small businesses while helping to drive business success. as.pn/sharedsuccess

Future of Work Initiative

The Future of Work Initiative aims to identify, develop, and amplify solutions that address the challenges of today while building toward a future in which workers are safe, empowered, and equipped to thrive in our changing world. as.pn/futureofwork

Good Companies/Good Jobs

The Good Companies/Good Jobs initiative equips companies to empower economic opportunity across the US through a key lever: good jobs. as.pn/gcgj

Workforce Strategies Initiative

Through research and evaluation, the Workforce Strategies Initiative explores strategies that help workers attain stability and mobility, including through training, education, and broader systems change. as.pn/wsi


Fellowships

Workforce Leadership Academies

Workforce Leadership Academies bring together local leaders to develop and sustain effective workforce strategies, collaborate more deeply with employers, and expand the number and quality of leaders who advance opportunities for low-wage workers and job seekers as they meet employers’ talent development needs. as.pn/wla

Education and Career Mobility Fellowship

The Education and Career Mobility Fellowship, which is offered by UpSkill America in partnership with Guild, supports dedicated professionals who manage and administer talent development programs, recognizing the unique challenges and diverse backgrounds they bring. It is designed for mid-career professionals, offering a chance to learn, grow, and build a strong network.

Job Quality Fellowship

The Job Quality Fellowship brings together leaders from differing lines of work, in communities across the country, who are working to expand the availability of better quality jobs. as.pn/jobquality


Event Series

Opportunity in America

Opportunity in America considers the changing landscape of economic opportunity in the US and implications for individuals, families, and communities across the country. The series highlights the ways in which issues of race, gender, and place exacerbate our economic divides, and ideas and innovations with potential to address these challenges and broaden access to quality opportunity. as.pn/opportunityinamerica

Job Quality in Practice

Job Quality in Practice webinars provide actionable tools and guidance to support leaders across geographies and fields — including workforce development, economic development, capital deployment, policy, worker advocacy, business, and higher education — to engage in practical action to improve jobs in their local communities and connect to a growing national conversation. as.pn/jobqualityinpractice

Employee Ownership Ideas Forum

The Employee Ownership Ideas Forum — hosted in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University — convenes policymakers, practitioners, researchers, philanthropists, investors, and leaders of employee-owned companies to learn about and discuss the latest in policy, research, finance, and practice.


Newsletters

Job Quality Newsletter

Our Job Quality Newsletter is a curated collection of job quality resources on a specific theme, from our library and beyond.

Resource Roundup

Resource Roundup is an editorial take on the latest articles and reports that shape our thinking on economic opportunity.

From the Forum

From the Forum highlights key moments from the Employee Ownership Ideas Forum to inspire fresh thinking and action around expanding ownership.

Upcoming Events

Our Upcoming Events newsletter offers a snapshot of public events and other opportunities to hear from our staff.

Monthly Digest

Our Monthly Digest newsletter is a recap of public activities from the past month, including new publications, commentary, videos, podcasts, media coverage, and more.

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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More from the Economic Opportunities Program

Blog Posts Of Interest

National Job Quality Practitioner Survey

If your org is improving #JobQuality, add your voice to this survey from The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program.

Blog Posts

Upcoming Events from the Economic Opportunities Program — October & November 2025

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. We hope you’ll join us at one of our upcoming events, which you can learn about below.

Blog Posts

Announcing the Job Quality Fellowship Class of 2025-26

The Fellows are leaders from differing lines of work who are working to expand the availability of quality jobs in the US South.

Blog Posts

Will the Return of Manufacturing Mean the Return of Good Jobs?  

When commentators and policymakers talk about economic opportunity, they often point to the manufacturing sector as an area of promise — one where workers without four-year degrees can enjoy stable, middle-class jobs with good benefits and a secure retirement. At

Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — September 2025

We are pleased to present a selection of our work from the past month.

Blog Posts

Worker Power & Agency

No matter how the technology evolves, workers will have a seat at the table in its development and deployment.