Business is booming everywhere you look in the Minot area, and a conference in early October is aiming to help employees and employers capitalize on the local economy as much as possible.
The North Dakota Governor's Workforce Summit 2011 is being held at the Grand International in Minot, 1505 N. Broadway, Oct. 5-6. It will feature a variety of sessions covering everything from the role of diversity in the workplace to why workers are relocating to North Dakota from all over the country.
Adele Sigl, workforce talent coordinator for the North Dakota Department of Commerce, said Gov. Jack Dalrymple summarized the event best when he said it's an opportunity to connect with over 200 business executives, policy makers, educators, young professionals and future leaders from across the state to lay the groundwork for talent growth in North Dakota.
The theme for this year's summit is "Open the Door to New Opportunity."
"It'll showcase workforce efforts, opportunities and challenges in North Dakota," Sigl said, noting there's more than enough of all three to go around.
Sigl said at least 100 people have already registered and they haven't even started marketing the summit yet. She said there are normally around 250 to 300 attendees.
The easiest way to register for the summit or find other information is online at (www.ndworkforcesummit.com). The registration fee is $200 per person, and includes meals. Sigl said there is no registration deadline, and participants can register right up to the day the summit is held.
"We will have people at the registration desk right there, but of course the sooner the better," she said.
A block of rooms at the Grand International is being set aside for the event, but they must be reserved by Sept. 22. After that the hotel rooms, which are in high demand all over Minot, will be released to the general public. Attendees can call the Grand International at 852-3161 to reserve a room, and should request the Governor's Workforce Summit room block.
The opening keynote address this year is "Getting the Workers You Want with the Skills You Need," by Ed Gordon, president of Imperial Consulting. According to the workforce summit website, Gordon is an internationally recognized writer, researcher, speaker and consultant on the future of the world's workforce. He has a broad range of clients from Microsoft and the Swiss government to the Federal Reserve Bank and professional associations. He has written a broad range of business titles including "Winning the Global Talent Showdown," "The 2010 Meltdown: Solving the Impending Jobs Crisis," "Skills Wars," and "FutureWork."
Information on his keynote address states the world is now experiencing a major labor-talent transition, and for many organizations talent management and talent development are major sustainability issues. Gordon Shares his compelling research explaining these challenges and why traditional talent resources no longer sustain many organizations. He furnishes case studies that reveal how leading-edge businesses are addressing these talent sustainability issues, while also offering action plans that can be adapted in the quest to get the workers a business wants with the skills a business needs.
The closing keynote address is "Trust Changes Everything," by LeRoy Maughan, who is a sought-after presenter for the Global Speed of Trust Practice at FranklinCovey. A professional mentor and keynote speaker, Maughan believes that true success is a collaborative experience, hallmarked by innovation and mutual trust. Maughan's professional experiences are both broad and deep, helping him create an engaging and interactive mentoring style which fosters creative thinking, lively dialogue, and practical, skill-practice activities aligned with purpose, intent and results.
The workforce summit website states the address is a fast-paced and engaging presentation that dramatically reveals trust as the hidden variable that will become your most leverage-able tool, fueling your current strategic imperatives. By framing trust in a new light this presentation will make the business and economic case for trust, show how the ability to generate trust is the critical leadership competency in this new global economy, and demonstrate how to master the skill of engendering trust - both personally and in your organization.
Those two speakers are just the tip of the iceberg, as there are plenty of other things to be taken in. Sigl said there are many sessions worth attending, including how diversity in the workplace and people with disabilities can benefit a business.
"We've got companies that actually pride themselves in having diverse workers, and how they've changed their business to help these employees," Sigl said.
She also mentioned a session on who's available to serve you in the North Dakota labor market.
"That has a lot to do with the North Dakota Job Service, they're going to help us out with this," Sigl said.
What is being done to maintain young professionals within the business area is another session Sigl pointed to as being beneficial to attend, and she also mentioned a panel on why workers are relocating to North Dakota.
"We actually have some people that have relocated to Minot and their journey, how they found their job, how they found their housing, and the bumps along the road, and the successes along the way as well," Sigl said.
"All of these are great sessions," she added.
Sigl said past attendees have taken a lot of good information away from the summit, whether they be employers or employees. She said just connecting with the many different people who attend from all parts of the business sector is a boon, Business executives, young professionals, future leaders and many legislative people all attend the summit, giving a great opportunity to make connections in the business world.
"Hopefully it'll be a great opportunity for a lot of people and I'll be happy to be there," she said. "I'll be smiling at the door."