Growing your Workforce 2024 Conference

The Growing Your Workforce Conference is an annual event organized by the Workforce Boards of Ontario. Each year, the conference is hosted by a different workforce development board. This year, the conference will be hosted by Workforce WindsorEssex, and will take place November 21 from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. and November 22 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at St Clair College Centre for the Arts in Windsor, Ontario.

The conference focuses on addressing workforce development challenges and opportunities across Southwestern Ontario, and is a vital platform for bringing together partners, including employers, service providers, institutions, and decision makers. It is an event where ideas are exchanged, best practices are shared, and solutions are crafted to address the pressing issues facing our workforce, talent pipelines, and local labour markets.

Potential conference topics for sessions/speakers/panels include:

• Recruiting and retaining apprentices
• Workforce retention
• Innovation in experiential learning
• Multi-generational workforces
• Meaningfully employing newcomers
• Innovative retention practices not focused on compensation
• How to effectively recruit qualified talent (from job postings to onboarding)
• How to partner with non-profits for funding opportunities
• Succession planning/knowledge sharing
• EDID: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization
• Accessibility in the workplace
• Resources for rural employers