Who we are
Why Close It?
Innovate+Educate was founded in 2008, and launched the first Close It Summit in 2013, the nation's first skills-based hiring summit. We have since produced 12 summits, continuing to see a need to bring together the brightest and best solutions (and people), making a meaningful impact.
This year’s theme is 'Closing the Gaps: Synergizing Connections!”
Synergizing Connections in the workforce (learning and hiring) means erasing the boundaries between traditional learning and employment to create a new system that fosters opportunities for all. This means focusing on the conventional divisions between education, training, and employment systems to foster collaboration, data sharing, and aligned outcomes. This approach promotes shared accountability across stakeholders—K-12, higher education, employers, workforce providers, learning providers, and policymakers—to ensure learners and workers can navigate seamless pathways from education to meaningful careers. And, that the system functions at 100% for all those we serve.
Our first summit was on the skills gap. This summit is on the many gaps. And, how to break the silos and erase the boundaries while creating a new system for learning and employment. A recent study done by The Schultz Foundation https://www.brokenmarketplace.org/ identified significant gaps.
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Of the approximately 30 million Americans between 18 and 24 years old, more than half are unemployed, cycling through low-wage jobs or working in roles that fall below their educational attainment, according to an analysis by the Burning Glass Institute.
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Four in five (77%) of job postings require at least one year of experience for entry-level roles, and half (50%) demand two or more (years).
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More than 52% of recent college graduates are underemployed, i.e. working in jobs that do not require a college degree.
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Forty-three percent still require at least a four-year degree for entry-level roles, often by habit, not necessity. In fact, 40% say they maintain the requirement simply because it is common practice, not because the degree is essential to job performance.
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Work-based learning and internships are on the rise, however there has been a 35% decline in entry-level job postings since 2023.
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AI can automate not just manual labor but also cognitive and professional tasks—such as customer service, accounting, writing, and even legal work. This puts millions of middle-skill and mid-wage jobs at risk, especially those that involve predictable tasks.
What will we accomplish?
Thousands have told us that the Close It Summit has been one of the best summits they attended over the years. Why? Because we work hard to curate the right people, the right ideas, and innovation, all together in one place for three days of networking and learning. A combination of regionally relevant solutions that work, innovation changing the landscape of work, and employer-driven models all come together, enabling attendees to share their knowledge.
The 2026 Summit will focus on five key themes that are shifting today’s workplace:
AI Explosion
Work-Based (Earn & Learn) Learning Models
(including internships, apprenticeships, work/learn models)Unlocking Hidden Talent: Skills First
Second Chance Hiring
Data That Works: Evidence to Scale