A key strategy of the WDSG is to work with a collection of states, cities, and rural areas in our High Skills Consortia. The consortia engages senior workforce officials from each state and locality in a peer-to-peer technical assistance network in support of highly effective workforce investment systems. Since its enactment, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) has provided a strategic framework along with dedicated resources for investing in adults and young people who need basic skills, vocational training, employability competencies and job placement assistance. The Act further recognized employers, for the first time, as equally important customers of the system. WIA has provided immense opportunities for creating a more integrated, effective, and relevant workforce development system. It has however, also brought with it an array of political, institutional and technical challenges, including extraordinary requirements to coordinate across agencies and multiple funding streams. Now, as we look to the future, the nation's workforce investment system is looked upon with even greater expectations — both in terms of serving the expanding needs of America's workers, and also in meeting the increasingly complex skill demands of America's employers. All of this comes at a time of economic turbulence at home and an increasingly competitive global economy. We believe that these challenges are best met with mutual support and through direct access to high-level expertise. The High Skills Consortia offers the highest level decision-makers from each state and local workforce system with a broad array of technical assistance — peer-to-peer; expert assistance on specific issues; joint research and development projects; informal and real-time discussions with federal and national leaders; sharing of best practices; and trouble-shooting of specific problems. At the same time, Consortia members are provided with opportunities for interaction with key policy makers and officials who shape and implement workforce development strategies and programs at the federal level. We are convinced that high-level interaction in a collegial setting provides an effective means for the discussion of challenges faced across the States and local areas, and also offers the best means to interact with key policy leaders. The High Skills Consortia also plays a critical role in informing the U.S. policymakers about the implementation of a comprehensive workforce development system — translating practice to good public policy. Specifically, the Consortia offers its participants: Regular meetings that cover critical workforce issues, with agendas shaped around the concerns of members; Participation in a customized peer-to-peer technical assistance network that enables members to share best practices and solve problems; Opportunities to participate in multi-state/multi-city projects aimed at solving common problems collaboratively; Access to a select talent bank of nationally recognized experts and consultants on workforce and economic development; Participation in regular forums in which members can provide policy advice on key workforce development issues to Congress and the executive branch; Technical assistance upon request. Members and affiliates of the High Skills Consortia include: The states of Rhode Island, New York, Arizona, Illinois, Maine, the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals, and the California Workforce Association; The cities of Boston, Chicago, Canton, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Louisville, New York, Norfolk/Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Richmond, and San Diego; The rural workforce areas of North Central Pennsylvania, Western Illinois, South Central Michigan Works!, the Oregon Workforce Alliance, and Yuma, Arizona; and The National Association of Workforce Boards, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, the National Workforce Association, and the American Association of Community Colleges.