2023 Raising the Bar Call for Proposals September 11-13, 2023 Live! Hotel in Hanover, MD
Workshop Solicitation
The Maryland Workforce Association’s, “Raising the Bar” Conference is returning once again. The conference is a great opportunity for in-depth conversations and networking for workforce and educational professionals to discuss innovative workforce development solutions for job seekers, youth, and businesses. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act challenges our system to be creative, flexible, and innovative in the delivery of these solutions.
Additionally, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future calls for a deeper collaboration between workforce, k-12 education systems, and community colleges to prepare Maryland’s students to be college and career ready.
Bring your challenges, ideas and evidence-based solutions and join us as we explore promising practices in developing the best workforce system in the Country.
The 2023 Raising the Bar Conference will be September 11-13, 2023 in Hanover, MD.
The conference will focus on the development of front line workforce, employment, and training staff, identify innovative practices in workforce development, including sector partnerships, the resurgence and evolution of apprenticeships, industry trends, and in-demand jobs. The conference draws attendees from the entire state of Maryland and nearby states.
Workshop Proposals
Of significant interest are proposals that address innovation, effective delivery of services, and workshops that provide information, tools or ideas that are practical and easily replicated.
The 2023 Raising the Bar Conference will include workshops organized around six tracks and workshops selected will reflect content for beginner, intermediate, and expert level professionals.
- Career Counseling
Understanding requirements and best practices for engaging middle and high school students; and creating opportunities for introducing the world of work to students
- Apprenticeship
Best practices for creating and maintaining Apprenticeships (both Registered and pre-apprenticeship); Local Boards staff role in creating Apprenticeships; How to prepare Job Seekers for Apprenticeships
- Business, Industry & Emerging Trends
Providing sector based approaches to business needs; innovative business engagement practices
- Special Populations
Ensuring that the workforce system works for all individuals; engaging and ensuring outreach to diverse populations; introducing partner programs for disabilities, homelessness, DEI.
- Leadership
Succession planning, staff development and retention, creating strategic partnerships, ensuring diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at all of levels of the workforce system, public policy
- Foundations of Workforce
Providing solutions for job seekers and businesses, including promising practices, innovative uses of funding streams and partner programs
Submission
Workshop audiences will include people interested in learning about innovative methods to serve clients in all aspects of the workforce development system, public policies that support the effective delivery of services, and workshops that provide information, tools or ideas that are practical and easily replicated.
Workshops are 75 minutes of content, with an additional 15 minutes for Q&A; and should encompass best practices, which have demonstrated measures of success. All proposals must be submitted online and must be complete. Required information includes:
- Workshop Title (10 words or less)
- Workshop description in 200 words or less
- Intended Outcomes and Learning Objectives for the Participants
- Workshop Track/s
- Presenter contact information and bios, include a one-minute video describing your workshop
- Explanation of how the program, initiative or strategy was proven to be effective.
Workshop titles may be edited to prepare the conference program. Workshop proposals must be submitted online at https://marylandworkforceassociation.org/call-for-proposals/ no later 5:00 PM on June 2, 2023 (new date).
Content must be informational and educational, not commercial. Presentations that are sales pitches for products or services will be eliminated from consideration.
Review Process
Raising the Bar’s Conference Committee will evaluate proposals based solely on the information submitted. Presenters, titles and content are expected to correspond to the proposal and substitutions of content or presenters require prior approval. Once a workshop has been accepted, no changes of speakers or workshop content will be allowed without prior approval. Presenters selected will be asked to complete a “Presenter Agreement” form.
Principal presenters will be notified whether their workshops have been accepted by the end of day, June 9, 2023 (new date).
Other Information
Raising the Bar does not subsidize travel expenses.
- Presenters will receive FREE conference registration the day/s they are selected to present.
- AV equipment will be available, however, presenters should bring their own laptop.
For more information, please contact: MDRTB@MarylandWorkforceAssociation.org and include RTB Call for Proposals in the subject line.