The Aspen Institute

Contact: Maureen Conway
Director, Workforce Strategies Initiative
The Aspen Institute
Tel: 202-736-2502

Washington, DC, May 6, 2008 – Twenty-six people involved in workforce training in the U.S. have been selected for a year-long leadership academy designed to share best practices, build new skills and provide an enriching professional development experience. Now in its fourth year, the Sector Skills Academy is operated by the Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative (WSI) and Public/Private Ventures (P/PV). Both groups are known for their research on workforce issues. Funding is provided by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

The Academy emphasizes “sectoral employment development” – a type of workforce training that prepares workers by developing a deep understanding of important regional industries, working closely with employers, and then crafting a set of training and other services that both support the industries’ competitiveness and connect workers to good-paying jobs.

As in the past, this year’s Academy participants work in diverse settings, such as community-based organizations, community colleges, business associations and government-funded agencies. They focus on jobs in a wide range of fields, including health care, construction, green and renewable resources, hospitality, manufacturing and transportation.

The Academy involves three, multi-day meetings where participants learn from experienced sector project leaders, visit innovative training programs and engage in classroom-style learning activities. The group’s first meeting is set for June in Queenstown, Md.

“The Academy offers a rare opportunity for those in workforce development to step outside their day-to-day routine, and learn from innovators about best practices in the field,” said Maureen Conway, director of WSI. “That puts them in an excellent position to become a resource back home when workforce policies and programs are being developed.”

Additional information about the Sector Skills Academy is available at:

www.sectorskillsacademy.org

WSI (www.aspenwsi.org), a program of the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C., identifies and advances strategies that help low-income Americans gain ground in today’s labor market. It engages in applied research, facilitates dialogue, disseminates innovative ideas and research findings.

P/PV (www.ppv.org), based in Philadelphia, Pa., is an action-based public policy and program development organization.

The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote nonpartisan inquiry and an appreciation for timeless values. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River near the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, New Delhi, and Bucharest, and leadership initiatives in Africa, Central America, and India.

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