Call for Presentations

Conference Themes

We’re actively preparing to make our time together engaging and impactful, with a strong focus on driving economic development. Below is a preview of our breakout session themes and key sub-topics that reflect this priority.

• Partnerships & System Integration
  • Economic development + workforce development
  • Higher education + workforce development
  • Employers/Labor + workforce development
  • Regional and local collaboration
  • State agency and local collaboration
• Strengthening Training Pathways
  
  • Designing employer-driven (pre) apprenticeship pathways
  • Labor-Business-Workforce partnerships for (pre) apprenticeships
  • Pathways to apprenticeship
  • Beyond the trades: Expanding apprenticeship into new industries
  • On-the-job training and other work-based learning
• Expanding Workforce Access
  
  • AI and technology integration for process and service improvements
  • Population-specific service delivery models
  • Best practices for engagement and co-design with community
  • Transportation, childcare, and housing: Tackling the real-world access issues
• Local Workforce Board Performance & Operations
  • Fiscal operations
  • Strategic use of funding: Braiding, aligning, and optimizing workforce investments
  • Evaluation + monitoring
  • Utilizing and understanding local workforce performance measures
  • Data-informed decision-making: Leveraging LMI and workforce analytics tools
  • Data for decision-making: Building a performance-driven culture
• Sector Strategies and Engaging Businesses
  • Innovative business workforce practices
  • Deepening industry sector partnerships to meet critical talent needs
  • Investing in quality jobs: Strategies to improve job design and retention
  • Demand-driven investment strategies
  • Rapid Response 2.0: Coordinated business services and economic transitions
  • Business services alignment across partners
  • Speaking the language of business: What employers really want

Equal Opportunity
Washington Workforce Association is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Washington Relay 711.

The Washington Workforce Association Fall Conference 2025 receives support and funding from U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I-B grants and other sources. Read more about USDOL grant funding at esd.wa.gov/USDOL funding.