BALTIMORE - People who help people get jobs need job skills and training themselves to remain on the cutting edge of workforce development. More than 700 workforce agency directors, career consultants, business services representatives and other individuals with workforce-related occupations are expected to attend “Raising the Bar 2005,” a three-day regional conference for workforce professionals to be held June 15 through 17 at the Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center in Ellicott City, Maryland.

“Raising the Bar is one of the premier workforce development conferences in the Mid-Atlantic region, and it is an excellent opportunity for staff who are serious about their own professional development,” said Karen Sitnick, president of the Maryland Workforce Development Association (MWDA), which is sponsoring the conference, and director of Baltimore City’s Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED).

The conference will offer more than 40 presentations in six tracks, including business services, job seeker services, management and leadership, personal development, economic and workforce development, and program planning and design. The conference is designed for workforce development professionals who plan and/or deliver services to job seekers and businesses. Attendees will also be able to learn about the newest career development products and services by visiting the booths of some 40 exhibitors.

James Fielder, secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, will join other top officials, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Region III Deputy Assistant Director Lenita Jacobs-Simmons, in highlighting the accomplishments of exceptional workforce development professionals during the conference’s first annual “Above the Bar” recognition luncheon. In addition, motivational speaker Silver Rose will offer the opening session keynote address on June 16th, and Will Weeks, Maryland’s senior disability navigator, will provide the general session keynote address on June 17th.

The conference is supported by MWDA, the Maryland Institute for Employment and Training Professionals (MIETP), the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Governor’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities, and numerous additional sponsors.

For more information, visit www.mwda.org or contact conference coordinator and MIETP’s executive director, Bruce Wahlgren, at (410) 290-9072. On-site registrations will be accepted.

The Maryland Workforce Development Association (MWDA) is an association of local directors and top administrators in Maryland’s workforce development system. The system provides customized services for businesses to assist them in recruiting, training, and retaining a skilled workforce, and also provides individualized assistance to job seekers so that they can compete in the job market.