TDCON24 Reflections: Workforce Strategies for West Central Wisconsin

West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board (West Central Works) seeks to provide workforce solutions for the businesses and workers in Barron, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk and St. Croix counties. Its Business Services Team provides educational opportunities for employers on retention issues to keep businesses informed on helpful topics like incumbent worker training, human resource strategies and more. 

In that effort, West Central Works staff attended TDCON24 (Talent Development Conference) this past spring at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse. TDCON24 is an opportunity for more than 250 executives, business leaders, human resources professionals, industry/trade associations, policymakers, and workforce development leaders to network and learn from each other about successful workforce development strategies occurring across Wisconsin.

Numerous speakers offered guidance based on their relevant expertise on various topics listed below. A summary video of the event can be viewed here, while the presentations can be viewed at https:/www.wwda.org/tdcon24speakers.

• Refugee Employment Programs, by Matthew Bray, Human Resources Director - Amcor Flexibles North America and Benjamyn Deneen, Refugee Career Development Services Program Manager, JSS Madison
• Generations Unmasked, by Brad Gringras, Owner, Superior Strategies, LLC
• Career Exploration and Engagement through Virtual Reality, by Ryan Leonhardt, Transfer State Workforce Manager
• Career Exploration - Learn by Doing Virtually, by Nikki Lester, zSpace Executive Director of Career and Technical Education
• Engaging Your Workforce during the Great Resignation, by Jeff Russell, co-owner of Russell Consulting, Inc
• Harnessing the Power of AI to Elevate Effectiveness, by Jay Stulo, Director of AI Strategy and Technology at Fox Valley Technical College
• Unique Benefits to Attract Candidates and How to Keep New Hires, by Jessica Van Den Plas, HR Manager at Salm Partners
• If You Build It - They WIll Come…or They Won’t, by Mark Richardson, President and Connector-In-Chief at Unfinished Business LLC

Thoughts for TDCON25

WWDA is hosting TDCON25 on April 15 - 16, 2025, in Milwaukee, WI, at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. Early-Bird Registration is live and tickets can be purchased now. Feedback on TDCON24 was extensive and will help facilitate TDCON25, with representative samples listed below. 

Attendees offered a 4.4 average rating out of 5 for their overall TDCON24 experience. 

How was the 2024 event?

“Please have the generations speaker back as a breakout or a keynote. He was great and had a ton of information he could share. I was sad to have it end as he had to keep it general, and I think it is very important for the workplace to understand more of the generation divide. Both in communication and in retention of employees.”

“While I think the event was a success, I would encourage the keynote and breakout session speakers to be more engaging, and by that, I mean have higher energy. Day 1 was very long, and losing momentum and energy showed. I could see people were eager to get back to their rooms or venture out.”

“I liked the "encore" sessions for each presentation. It allowed flexibility in attending those 4/10/2024 9:16 PM sessions interested in.”

“Add more diverse fields. The majority of the people were related to manufacturing, which isn’t my employer’s field, and had items that were not relatable. For example, the type of workers (retention, recruitment, benefits) are all different when dealing with educators.”

What recommendations do you have for TDCON 2025?

“If TDCON wants to continue being successful and attract a younger crowd - the speakers NEED to be more diverse in age, race and gender.

“More diversity in speakers.”

“Topics seemed repetitive, and some presenters used the same statistics in their presentations.”

“I would love some expertise on onboarding and retention.”

“More employers in attendance”

“A stronger marketing strategy to bring in more employers.”

“Would like to see more employers attend.”

Focus on workforce

West Central Works strives to provide the best strategies to deliver workforce results for the communities of its service area. Contact our staff today for more information on moving employment options forward in West Central Wisconsin.

Don’t delay - register for #TDCON25 today!