Breaking the Talent Code Call for Proposals

The theme for this year's conference is Breaking the Talent Code. Helping individuals find their talent and guiding them through a career pathway will better their lives, advance our workforce, and improve the American economy. Call for Proposals TALENT (noun) intellectual ability, natural or acquired; skill in accomplishing; a special gift, particularly in business, art, or the like Talent is in high demand for 21-st century jobs. The future of our economy depends on a talented, skilled workforce. A recent Presidential Memorandum states, “The high-wage jobs of the 21st century will require more knowledge and skills than the jobs of the past. We therefore must develop innovative strategies to train more Americans with the skills that businesses and the economy will need to ensure American competitiveness.” By implementing a national skills credentialing system, we can effectively identify and measure the skills required for workplace success in economically important industries. Navigating individuals through a career pathway—clearly showing training and certification options—will help address the mismatch between skills in demand and our current skill supply. Identifying and developing talent is critical to workplace success in an ever-changing economy. Some individuals are good at working with numbers, designing websites and building things; others are good at working with kids, healing people, listening and understanding. Everyone has talent. Help us break the code to unleash the collective power of talent to move our nation forward. Breaking the Talent Code. Helping individuals find their talent and guiding them through a career pathway will better their lives, advance our workforce and improve the American economy. Together, we—ACT, educators, employers, workforce development personnel, economic developers, state officials, industry leaders—can create a better model to develop American workers with the skills and talent needed to succeed in the global economy. The call for proposals is now open for Workforce 2011 and we are searching for presentations focused on our theme—Breaking the Talent Code. Please complete the proposal form to be considered for presenting at Workforce 2011. Deadline to submit is February 7, 2011.