IRVING, Texas, Sept. 15, 2026 — ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ joins Americans across the country in observing Hispanic Heritage Month, the annual celebration held Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 that honors the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. This year’s national theme, “Unidos, Somos Más” — “Together, We Are More” — is the operating principle of a nation that has drawn its strength from people of every origin building something together.

“That is the American triumph,” says Ignacio Salazar, president and chief executive officer of ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝. “No other country has woven so many backgrounds, languages, talents and skills into a single fabric and made it stronger for the weaving. That is why the rest of the world studies the United States and tries to copy it. Hispanic Americans are among the threads that run through every part of that fabric, often in places the public never thinks to look,” he adds.

Consider the record. Mario Molina, a Mexican-born American and recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in chemistry, identified the ozone hole. Luis Alvarez, a Nobel scientist, explained that an asteroid impact ended the age of dinosaurs. Severo Ochoa won the Nobel Prize in medicine on how cells copy genetic information, and Lydia Villa-Komaroff led the research team that first coaxed bacteria into producing human insulin for diabetes treatment.

The same energy shows up on Main Street. The Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative reports the number of Latino-owned businesses in the United States grew 44 percent from 2018 to 2023. Nationally, the economic output of U.S. Latinos is at $4.4 trillion in 2024, the fourth-largest economy in the world and larger than Japan’s. The Latino labor force grew 5.5 percent that year, the strongest growth on record, and one in five people living in the United States is now Latino.

“Every one of those numbers is a person who got up this morning and went to work,” states Salazar. “A $4.4 trillion economy is not built by a few famous names. It is built by nurses and welders, teachers and truck drivers, coders and construction crews, and small-business owners who opened their doors before sunrise. Hispanic Heritage Month is the country pausing to say: We see you, and we are stronger because you are here.”

SER has been part of that story for 62 years, with a single, nonpartisan mission: preparing people for productive, unsubsidized employment through education, job skills training, and literacy. Through the SER Network of Affiliates, with more than 200 locations across America and Puerto Rico, SER serves more than 1 million people each year. Its measure of success has never changed: a job that supports a family and a career that supports a future.

“The best way to honor the people who broke barriers is to make sure the next generation never meets them,” Salazar said. “When we put a credential in someone’s hand and a paycheck in someone’s pocket, we are not helping one community. We are adding to what America can do. Unidos, somos más. Together, we are more. That has always been the whole point.”

¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ calls on all Americans to mark this month with action, not just applause: learn the stories of the Hispanic Americans who built and sustain their own hometowns; hire, mentor or train a worker looking for a foothold; and stand with the employers, educators and community organizations that keep the nation’s workforce strong. The fabric holds because every thread does its part.

“Twenty-five years ago, hundreds of Americans went to work and never came home. Firefighters, police officers, flight crews, office workers, service workers, and men and women in uniform gave everything that day. Their families have carried that loss for a quarter century,” said Ignacio Salazar, President & CEO of ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝. “We remember each of them not as a number but as a neighbor, a colleague, a parent and a friend whose life had purpose and whose absence is still felt.”

America has not forgotten, and it has not stood still. The country reformed how it protects its people, strengthened the bonds among its communities, and rediscovered a shared sense of purpose.

“At SER, we honor them by doing what they were doing that morning: showing up, working hard, and giving our best to one another,” Salazar said. For ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ and the SER Network of Affiliates, that story of loss and the promise of rebuilding is also a story about work. Every year, the SER Network serves more than one million people seeking training, skills, employment, and a path to opportunity. The SER Network joins the nation in a solemn moment of remembrance and in a renewed commitment to the opportunity, unity, and strength that define America at its best.

“Today, I ask every American to do three things,” Salazar said. “Pause and remember the lives lost and the families who still grieve. Thank the first responders in your community who stand ready to run toward danger. And then go to work, in whatever form that takes, with the same devotion those we lost brought to theirs. Mentor someone. Hire someone. Train someone. Give of yourself to others, because that is how this country has always grown stronger, and that is how we keep faith with those who gave everything on September 11, 2001.”

IRVING, Texas — ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ today joins communities across the country in observing Labor Day and honoring the workers whose skill, discipline, and ingenuity have built the strongest economy on earth.

“Labor Day belongs to the people who build, teach, heal, harvest, code and create,” said Ignacio Salazar, President and CEO of ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝. “Generation after generation, the American worker has met every change in the economy with skill, discipline, and determination. That capacity to adapt is the quiet engine of American prosperity, and it is the reason this Nation leads the world.”

This year’s observance carries singular meaning: It is the first Labor Day of the Nation’s 250th anniversary year. For two and a half centuries, American workers have adapted to every transformation of the economy, from the farm to the factory floor, from the assembly line to the digital age. Each generation has answered change with new ideas, new industries, and new prosperity.

“SER has spent 62 years proving a simple truth: When you invest in a worker, you strengthen a family, a community, and a country,” Salazar said. “New technologies are opening new industries at a pace no generation has seen before. Our task is to make certain that every American who is willing to work has the training to seize that opportunity, because America’s next chapter, like every chapter before it, will be written by its workers.”

SER has stood with the American worker through 62 years of that story. Founded in 1964, SER today serves more than 1 million people annually through the SER Network of Affiliates- 200 locations in more than 25 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico- delivering education, job training, and employment services to those ready to work.

As artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and new energy systems reshape the labor market, SER’s mission, preparing workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow, has never been more central to the national interest.

“This Labor Day, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ invites employers, educators, and civic and government leaders to partner with the SER Network of Affiliates to train the workforce their communities need,” says Salazar. “We encourage every individual seeking new skills or a new start to connect with a local SER Affiliate and explore opportunities that will continue to empower America, one worker at a time.”

Irving, Texas — As the United States marks 250 years of independence, today, on July 4, 2026, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ joins communities across the country in celebrating a milestone few generations are privileged to witness: two and a half centuries of a nation built, sustained, and continually renewed by the talents of its people.

“Two hundred fifty years ago, a group of people declared that they were stronger together, and every generation since has had to prove it anew,” said Ignacio Salazar, President and CEO of ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝. “What we celebrate this Independence Day is not only a founding document, but the daily decision of millions of Americans to bring their skills, their labor, and their hope to a common future. That is the experiment, and it is succeeding.”

The semi-quincentennial is more than a date on the calendar. It is a testament to an idea once called the grand experiment: that a country drawn from every origin, background, and experience could become not many people, but one. From many, one. That promise, present at the nation’s founding, has endured through prosperity and hardship, through natural disaster and national trial. It endures still, carried forward by the will, perseverance, and hard work of generation after generation.

“That endurance is not abstract,” adds Salazar. “Today, more than 170 million Americans make up the nation’s labor force, their skills and effort powering the largest economy on earth, one that accounts for roughly a quarter of all global output. Behind those figures stands a simpler truth: the strength of the United States has always been the breadth of its people and the many gifts they bring. The tapestry is the achievement,” he states.

For the SER Network of Affiliates, that conviction is the work itself. For decades, they have served communities across the United States and Puerto Rico. Every year, more than 1 million program participants are assisted in building their skills, credentials, and confidence to enter the workforce and rise within it. Workforce development is, at its heart, the everyday renewal of the American promise: that with opportunity and effort, anyone can contribute to, and share in, the prosperity of a nation built by many hands.

“America’s next chapter will be written the same way the first 250 years were — by people who develop their talents, lift their neighbors, and refuse to be divided,” he said. “Our charge is to ensure that every person has the opportunity to contribute their full measure. When we do that, the promise of this country is not merely preserved. It grows.”

¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ invites Americans of every community to mark the moment in a spirit of unity and gratitude — to salute one another as neighbors and friends, to give thanks to our Creator for the blessings of this land, and to recognize how rare and significant this milestone truly is. Few will witness such a moment in a lifetime. This generation will see it firsthand.

IRVING, Texas — ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ joins Americans across the country in observing Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking June 19, 1865, the day Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all remaining enslaved people were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and only when word at last reached the final community to learn of its liberty.

“Juneteenth reminds us that freedom and opportunity belong together,” said Ignacio Salazar, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝â€™s President and CEO. “Emancipation opened the door, but it was the chance to work, to learn a skill, and to earn a living that allowed people to walk through it and build something lasting. At SER, we honor that history every day by helping Americans gain the skills and the confidence to seize the opportunities in front of them.”

This year’s national observance, themed “Juneteenth Brings Balance to America’s Celebration of Freedom,” speaks directly to that truth: liberty and the opportunity to contribute are partners, and the nation is at its strongest when both are within every person’s reach.

“When a person gains a skill, earns a credential, or steps into a career suited to their talents, something larger than a paycheck takes hold,” says Salazar. “It is a sense of dignity, purpose, and self-determination. Freedom, in its fullest sense, is the room to become one’s greatest self, and a nation that equips its people to do exactly that grows stronger with every individual who rises.

“Our work is about making sure no one is left on the sidelines of a growing economy,” Salazar added. “This Juneteenth, I invite Americans of every background to come together, to honor how far we have come as a nation, and to recommit to an America where freedom and opportunity reach every person willing to learn, work, and contribute,” Salazar said.

A Tribute to the Fallen and to the Enduring American Belief That Every Generation Has a Role to Play in Building a Stronger Country

IRVING, Texas — ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ joins communities across the United States and Puerto Rico in observing Memorial Day, a solemn national day of remembrance for the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who gave their lives in service to the country.

“Memorial Day calls on all of us to pause and honor the Americans who gave their lives so that the rest of us could pursue ours,” said Ignacio Salazar, President and Chief Executive Officer of ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝. “The most meaningful way we can honor that sacrifice is by doing the work of building a stronger country by helping every American develop the talents they were given and by working together as one people toward a shared future,” he added.

Memorial Day dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan, then Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued General Order No. 11, designating May 30 as a national day to honor those who died in the Civil War. The first major observance that year took place at Arlington National Cemetery, where some 5,000 Americans gathered to decorate more than 20,000 soldiers’ graves. After the First World War, the observance was expanded to honor all American service members who had died in defense of the nation. In 1971, Congress formally established Memorial Day as a federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May.

The freedoms preserved by their sacrifice are the same freedoms that allow Americans to learn, work, build businesses, raise families, and contribute their talents to the strength of the nation. That is the inheritance every generation receives, and the inheritance every generation is asked to steward.

This Memorial Day, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ invites every American to take a moment of reflection — to visit a national cemetery, to attend a local ceremony, to place a flag, to read the name of a fallen service member aloud — and then to recommit to the work of strengthening the country they died for. The development of the individual’s talents, the dignity of work, and the power of Americans working together remain the surest tribute we can offer..

SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. (¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝) joins communities across the United States in observing Cinco de Mayo, marking the anniversary of the May 5, 1862, Battle of Puebla, a moment in history when an outnumbered, under-equipped force, led by Texas-born Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza, held the line against a far larger army through discipline, unity, and uncommon resolve.

“Cinco de Mayo reminds us that courage, preparation, and unity can overcome the steepest of odds,” said Ignacio Salazar, president and CEO of ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝. “At SER, we see that same spirit every day; in the worker pursuing a new credential, in the young person stepping into a first career, in the experienced professional choosing to upskill again. Our affiliates and the people they serve are proof that when Americans commit to learning, working, and lifting one another, our economy and our country grow stronger.”

More than 160 years later, the lesson of that day in Puebla endures. It is a universal story of ordinary people, working together toward a common purpose, finding strength in one another, and turning long odds into lasting inspiration. It is, in many ways, a universal American story; the story of what people can accomplish when they prepare, persevere, and stand together.

“That spirit is at the heart of ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝’s work,” states Salazar. “For more than six decades, SER has invested in the most powerful resource any nation possesses: its people. Through the SER Network of Affiliates, which spans 26 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, more than 1 million participants are served each year with education, training, employment services, and pathways to economic opportunity. The affiliates are the engine of that mission: community-rooted, locally led, and indispensable to every chapter of SER’s success,” he adds.

That achievement aligns with the most recent labor data as well. The U.S. economy added 178,000 jobs in March 2026, the strongest monthly gain since December 2024, with the unemployment rate at 4.3 percent and the Hispanic unemployment rate at 4.8 percent. The numbers tell the story of an economy that continues to move forward; one that has weathered uneven months, absorbed shocks, and once again demonstrated the durability of American work and American workers. Behind every data point is a person, a family, and a community choosing to build, to learn, and to keep going. That is the legacy of American strength, and it is the foundation on which the next chapter will be written.

“The American economy continues to evolve, bringing new challenges and opportunities,” adds Salazar. “¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ believes the path forward is the same path the holiday celebrates in spirit: shared effort, steady resolve, and the willingness to keep learning. Workforce development, the lifelong commitment to gaining and renewing skills, remains the most reliable engine of individual advancement and national strength,” he concludes.

On this Cinco de Mayo, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ extends its appreciation to its affiliates, partners, employers, educators, and, most of all, the participants whose determination drives the work forward. Their progress is America’s progress.

In observance of Women’s History Month 2026, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ and the SER Network of Affiliates recognize the measurable and vital impact women have on the strength, resilience, and global competitiveness of the United States economy.

“Women are indispensable to the economic vitality of the United States,” said Ignacio Salazar, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ President and CEO. “From small business ownership to corporate leadership to skilled trades, women are strengthening our labor force and driving innovation. At SER, we witness firsthand how access to training and opportunity translates into measurable economic growth.”

Women represent nearly 47 percent of the U.S. labor force, with more than 77 million women active across every major sector of the economy, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women are also leading. They own more than 12 million businesses nationwide, generating nearly $2 trillion in annual revenue. In corporate leadership, women now hold approximately one in four C-suite positions and nearly 30 percent of board seats among S&P 500 companies — the highest representation in history.

“When women gain the skills and credentials needed for today’s competitive economy, families become more secure, communities become more stable, and our nation becomes more competitive,” Salazar said. “Workforce development is one of the most powerful economic tools we have, and ensuring women have full access to that pipeline is both smart policy and sound economics.”

Through a national network serving more than 1 million program participants annually, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ and its affiliates provide workforce development, adult education, youth employment, and career placement services that expand economic mobility for women at every stage of life. These programs support women entering the workforce, transitioning careers, reentering after time away, or launching their own businesses.

Salazar adds that investing in women’s workforce participation is not symbolic. That investment is strategic. “While progress is evident, continued collaboration across public, private, and nonprofit sectors is essential to sustain momentum,” he states. “Strengthening access to high-quality training programs, apprenticeships, digital skills, small business capital, and supportive services will ensure women can continue expanding their leadership across industries,” says Salazar.

¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ invites Americans to join in building a workforce culture rooted in performance, opportunity, and shared prosperity — one in which women’s contributions continue to power a stronger, more vibrant United States economy. For more information on ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝’s programs and services, visit www.ser-national.org.

On Presidents Day, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ and the SER Network of Affiliates join the nation in honoring the strength, leadership, and vision that have defined the United States across generations. From the country’s founding to the present day, these enduring values have been inseparable from freedom, self-determination, and the belief that opportunity should be earned through hard work, skill, and perseverance.

“For generations, Americans have taken pride in building, creating, and sustaining this nation through their own talents and labor,” said Ignacio Salazar, President and Chief Executive Officer of SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. “Presidents’ Day reminds us that leadership is not abstract. It is measured by how well we prepare people to stand on their own, support their families, and contribute meaningfully to their communities and to our country.”

Presidents’ Day serves as a reminder that America’s progress has always depended on leadership with vision that invests in people and equips them to meet the demands of a changing economy. Today, that responsibility is more relevant than ever. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 70 percent of new jobs through the end of this decade will require education or training beyond a high school diploma, underscoring the critical role of workforce development in sustaining economic growth and individual self-sufficiency.

Each year, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ and the SER Network of Affiliates serve more than one million individuals, delivering job training, education, and workforce pathways that translate ambition into measurable outcomes. These efforts reflect a core American ideal: that freedom is strengthened when people are empowered with skills, credentials, and opportunity.

“As we see ourselves in 2026, the message of Presidents Day is especially clear,” Salazar said. “Visionary leadership requires us to think beyond today and invest in the workforce of tomorrow. At SER, we see our work as part of that American mission, unlocking potential, advancing economic mobility, and helping individuals rise as far as their talent and determination can take them.”

From border to border and shore to shore, SER programs reinforce the connection between leadership, vision, and freedom by preparing individuals for in-demand careers that support a strong and competitive nation. This Presidents’ Day, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ calls on its staff, partners, and communities to recommit to excellence, accountability, and purpose in all that they do.

Presidents’ Day is not only a moment of reflection but also a call to action and a rededication to the values that have made the United States a nation of builders, innovators, and problem-solvers. “¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ remains committed to that mission, committed to being the best of the best in advancing opportunity, strengthening the workforce, and honoring the ideals that continue to define America,” concludes Salazar.

¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ observes Black History Month by reaffirming a core American truth: progress is built through work, skills, and opportunity, and the contributions of Black Americans and other communities of color have always shaped the economic strength of the United States. This annual observance is not only a moment to reflect on history, but to recognize how workforce development and job training continue to fuel innovation, productivity, and shared prosperity across the nation.

“Black History Month reminds us that America’s story is, at its core, a story of the work of people who labored, learned, persevered, and built pathways not only for themselves, but for generations that followed,” said Ignacio Salazar, President and CEO of SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. “Workforce development is about honoring that legacy by ensuring that every individual, regardless of background, has the opportunity to acquire skills, refine them, and apply them in ways that strengthen families, communities, and our country,” adds Salazar.

Black History Month acknowledges the generations of Black workers, entrepreneurs, educators, and public servants whose labor and leadership helped build the modern American economy. From manufacturing and transportation to healthcare, education, technology, and public service, Black Americans have been essential to the growth and resilience of the nation’s workforce. Today, that legacy continues. Their contributions are indispensable to America’s economic vitality and competitiveness.

“¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ and the SER Network of Affiliates exist to ensure that opportunity keeps pace with that reality,” says Salazar. “We affirm those words with clear actions. Each year, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ and the SER Network of Affiliates serve more than one million participants through workforce development, job training, education, and skills-building programs that help individuals advance in their careers and help employers meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy. This work reflects a long-standing belief that a strong work ethic, combined with access to training and opportunity, is the foundation of individual dignity, community stability, and national progress.”

The nation’s global economic standing depends on this commitment. As the United States competes in an increasingly interconnected world, innovation and productivity remain its greatest advantages. Investing in job training, credentialing, and lifelong learning is not optional; it is essential to maintaining America’s leadership in a competitive global economy.

Throughout Black History Month, ¶¶Ňő´«Ă˝ stands with the SER Network of Affiliates, partners, and communities to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and to recommit to the principles that have long defined economic advancement in this country. By strengthening skills, expanding access to training, and honoring the contributions of all workers, America reinforces the foundation of its prosperity.

“At this moment of reflection and celebration, all Americans can come together to recognize that our strength comes from respecting and valuing each other’s contributions,” Salazar said. “When we do that, the future possibilities for our nation are limitless.”