Human Services Workforce Development Evaluation Symposium

Our New Name

Members of the National Human Services Training Evaluation Symposium are pleased to announce that the symposium will be now known as the Human Services Workforce Development Evaluation Symposium. The new name acknowledges that building a competent and committed workforce requires an array of interventions and strategies. The new name also represents an invitation to practitioners and evaluators who are working to build evidence around workforce development interventions and strategies in human service systems throughout the global community.

What makes this symposium special?

This symposium brings together evaluators and practitioners to share ideas, challenges, and methodologies for evaluating workforce development interventions and strategies across human services fields. Over 20 years, the symposium has cultivated a unique learning space where attendees collaborate and support each other through constructive and respectful discussions. The symposium welcomes curiosity and a wide-range of experiences to enrich the exploration of challenges, innovative approaches to address these challenges, and new ways to approach future and/or ongoing work. Because of this environment, each year participants walk away with ideas and resources relevant to their evaluation work, as well as new and deepened relationships and sense of community.

What to expect for the 2023 symposium?

The 2023 symposium, hosted by the Agile Visual Analytics Lab, will be held May 2-4 at the Luskin Conference Center on the campus of UCLA. To ensure the symposium continues to provide its unique learning environment, space will be limited to a total of 50 registrants. Completed registrations will be honored on a first-come, first-serve basis for registrants who attest they will participate in the entirety of the symposium (i.e., all day on May 2-3 and half-day on May 4), complete the registration form online, and submit payment for their registration. The symposium has secured a room block at the Luskin Conference Center for your convenience at a discounted rate of $249/night+tax. Participants will be responsible for booking and paying for their hotel accommodations. Participants can book their hotel accommodations at the Luskin Conference Center by clicking . Key dates for the 2023 symposium include the following:

• Registration Opens ($550): November 7, 2022
• Call for Proposals Released: December 2022
• Proposals Due: January 31, 2023
• Proposal Notification: February 21, 2023
• Registration Closes: April 3, 2023
• Deadline to book hotel accommodations: April 3, 2023

Many organizations and agencies across human services are experiencing new and/or persistent challenges to build a competent and committed workforce. Changes around these organizations and agencies are impacting their workers, priorities, and approaches to developing their workforces. As these organizations and agencies seek to meet their evolving workforce needs, evaluation should have a critical role to help inform these decisions. Therefore, the theme for the 2023 symposium is Developing a Changing Workforce: Forging Connections and Building Evidence. The 2023 symposium will include intentional networking opportunities and discussions focusing on the following 3 main topic areas. Examples of sub-topics are also provided below, but discussions will not be limited to these sub-topics. Click to subscribe to the mailing list or follow the host on / to receive updates about the call for proposals.

1. Evaluating Human Services Trainings

• Lessons learned from training during a pandemic
• Hybrid & Remote Trainings
• Transfer of training/relationship between training performance and performance on the job

2. Evaluating Interventions to Promote a Competent & Committed Workforce

• Telework & Remote Work
• Retention & Recruitment
• Onboarding & Team Building in a virtual or hybrid environment
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
• Secondary Traumatic Stress & Burnout

3. Leveraging Innovative Methodologies & Strategies

• Using a rapid, developmental, or participatory evaluation framework
• Applying an equity lens in evaluation
• Conducting evaluations remotely (e.g., qualitative data collection)
• Developing and selecting measures
• Collecting, accessing, and managing human services data
• Assessing long-term impacts
• Engaging stakeholders to make meaning and use of data and findings

If your employer requires documentation of the symposium to provide approval, you can click here to view and download a description and preliminary agenda for the 2023 symposium. The agenda will be updated as the schedule and programming are determined.

What is the symposium's COVID-19 policy?

The safety of attendees remains our top priority. The host will be monitoring health and public safety requirements and will follow all current recommendations and guidelines in place at the time of symposium as set forth by UCLA.

Currently, we are encouraging that face masks be worn while indoors in public settings during the symposium when not eating or drinking, per public safety recommendations. Outdoor seating will be available during mealtimes. Face masks will be available onsite, and there will be hand sanitizer stations onsite.

Preventative health measures are subject to change. Details of any necessary measures will be communicated as early as possible.

What is the cancellation policy?

Cancellation by Symposium

If for any reason beyond the host's control, the host determines that the 2023 symosium must be cancelled, registration fees will be reimbursed.

Cancellation by Individual

To request a refund, you must contact the host at [email protected] with documentation of your reason for cancellation by March 11, 2023. All cancellation requests will be reviewed by the host, and if approved, will be processed within three weeks of the original request. No refunds will be accepted and all sales are final after March 11, 2023.

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Host or Publisher Agile Visual Analytics Lab @ UCLA