The National Association of Workforce Boards

March 23 - 26, 2024 | Washington, D.C.

THE FORUM 2024:

Forging Tomorrow’s Workforce Today

Proposals were due November 17, 2023. Submissions are now closed.

Presenters will be notified by the end of the year of the judging committee's decision.

As workforce leaders, we can articulate the value and importance of upskilling our community’s workforce all day long. But what about us? What improves and ignites us? 

The answer: The Forum. It’s the nation’s largest annual workforce development conference.

Advance your skills, so you can advance theirs. 

Feel the energy at the center of it all as we convene in our nation’s capital on March 23-26, 2024. Yes, you will network and learn. You’ll also recharge and reconnect with your purpose and your mission. Be inspired by — and with — others who want to unlock creativity and unleash potential.

NAWB is seeking proposals for sessions to be presented March 24 and 25, with a possibility of being named a special session on March 23. Sessions should address the complexity of the workforce system and demonstrate an understanding of workforce development boards’ instrumental position in sustaining healthy community economies. Sessions at The Forum helps us learn from each other and allow us to understand the trends occurring in the larger U.S. economy and the workforce development context.

Session proposals should align with The Forum's theme, "Forging Tomorrow's Workforce Today," while addressing one or more of the following critical issues:

• Future of Work and Technology:
• Unpacking the impact of AI, VR, AR, IoT, and emerging technologies
• Adapting to evolving workplaces and modern work methods
• Navigating emerging economies and elevating job quality
• Future of Service Delivery:
• Championing customer-centered design in workforce services
• Strengthening supportive services for job seekers
• Cultivating collaboration and partnership for effective service delivery
• Innovative strategies for outreach and marketing in workforce development
• Professional Development and Leadership:
• Fostering leadership development and effective change management
• Crafting succession plans and cultivating high-performing operations teams
• Elevating staff development within workforce organizations
• Future of the Workforce System:
• Crafting effective state advocacy strategies for workforce development
• Engaging proactively with Local Economic Opportunity (LEO) initiatives
• Pioneering innovations at the systems level for workforce development
• Financial resources and sustainability:
• Diversifying funding sources to bolster workforce programs
• Exploring strategies for financial sustainability, including braided funding and fee-for-service models
• Business and industry engagement:
• Promoting the benefits of apprenticeship programs
• Reinforcing business services in workforce development
• Implementing sector strategies with impact
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA):
• Formulating strategies to effectively target and support diverse populations
• Advancing DEIA goals within workforce programs
• Nurturing inclusivity and ensuring accessibility in workforce services

We encourage you to contribute your expertise and insights to this transformative event by submitting a session proposal aligned with the themes and priority focus areas outlined above.

Who will you share your experiences with? Proposals should be targeted to the key groups that attend The Forum. The attendees at The Forum represent a variety of roles in the workforce system, including policy makers and leaders from the local workforce system, education, business, industry, and community led organizations. 

When will sessions be held? Sessions will be held on March 24 and 25 with special pre-conference sessions taking place on March 23. All speakers must appear at the Forum in person. Sessions are 50 minutes long.

What is the process and criteria for selecting proposals? 

Application Submission: All proposals are to be submitted electronically. The application can be found below. 

Review Process: A team of workforce development professionals will review all proposals. If your proposal is not selected for a full session, you may be invited to co-present with submitters of a similar proposal. Reviewers will score each proposal based on the following criteria:

1. Identifies ideas that are relevant to the success of workforce development efforts
2. Provides useful and practical information focusing on solutions not problems
3. Presents new and innovative practices and ideas
4. Includes the participation of more than one workforce board partner
5. Shares multiple perspectives of multiple presenters
6. Includes information on how the information/program/strategy can be replicated through lessons learned, obstacles overcome, key drivers, and tools 
7. Allows for questions and comments during the allotted session time
8. Includes no more than 4 speakers

Application deadline: 11:59 pm ET, Friday, November 17, 2023. The discussion leader will be notified of the decision on your proposal no later than December 31, 2023. 

Additional Information:

• Speakers must all participate in person; there will be no virtual aspect to the Forum. 
• We provide technical support, screens, microphones, and a projector, but speakers must provide their own laptop. 
• Presentations should not include any videos, etc., that will require an internet connection.
• NAWB will work with presenters to adapt the session theme or design as needed to fit the time slot, tailor to the NAWB audience, include expert speakers, and plan with other presenters if combined sessions, if applicable.
• A template will be sent to all presenters for their respective presentation decks. This template should be used by all presenters to ensure uniformity.
• Session presenters are required to adhere to all session planning key dates and deadlines. 
• All presentation decks and supporting materials must be submitted to NAWB by 11:59 pm ET, March 1, 2024, to ensure materials can be posted in a timely manner. Materials provided after this date are not assured of inclusion.
• Speakers are responsible for all expenses related to the development and implementation of their sessions. NAWB does not pay honoraria, travel, per diem, or other costs for session speakers or designers. Speakers will receive a discounted registration fee. 
• All NAWB programs are non-solicitation environments and shall not be used for commercial sales pitches, self-promotion, or unwarranted criticism of a competitor. 

Questions should be directed to nawbforum@nawb.org.