The Manufacturing Institute is hosting its fifth annual Workforce Summit, Skills at Scale: Delivering America’s Competitive Advantage, from October 26–28, 2026, in Indianapolis, IN. This year’s Summit focuses on the workforce capabilities manufacturers need to grow and compete. Industry leaders, practitioners and experts will share practical approaches for building strong talent pipelines, developing technical and digital skills and supporting a workforce prepared for rapid technological change. Across keynotes, case studies and peer discussions, attendees will learn what leading manufacturers are doing to improve retention, expand training and create work environments that support long‑term success. The Summit is designed for participants to walk away with actionable strategies they can implement immediately.
Call for Proposals
Bring your best employer-driven ideas and the results that back them up. We are most interested in breakout sessions that show:
- Building Skills for the Modern Shop Floor: Approaches that strengthen frontline capability, technical proficiency and leadership readiness - supported by real-world results.
- Agile Models for Rapidly Changing Production: Training, systems and tools that help teams adapt quickly as technologies, processes and expectations evolve.
- Partnerships That Expand Talent Pipelines: Employer, educator, community collaborations that improve access to skilled talent and prepare individuals for true manufacturing careers.
- Engaging, Applied Learning Experiences: Interactive session formats that spark participation, problem‑solving and practical skill-building for manufacturers of all sizes.
Who Should Apply?
We’re looking for manufacturing leaders, practitioners and problem‑solvers who have tackled real workforce challenges and can share solutions with proven impact. If you’ve introduced a new idea, reimagined an existing approach or achieved measurable results that others can learn from, we want your session on our Summit agenda! Sales presentations will not be accepted. A limited number of breakout sessions will be available for sponsorship by vendors or service providers. If you are interested in learning about opportunities to sponsor this event, please contact Mitch Harle, Senior Manager of MI Partnerships & Philanthropy at MHarle@nam.org
Breakout Session Details
When applying to present a breakout session, you’ll be asked for:
- Session Title: A clear, compelling title that captures your topic and draws attendees in.
- Connection to the Conference Theme, Skills at Scale: Delivering America’s Competitive Advantage
A brief explanation of how your session supports this year’s focus areas – such as adaptability, continuous learning or human-centered innovation. - Session Format: Select one of three options and note how you’ll engage attendees:
- Workshop Session – highly interactive and hands‑on
- Expert Insights Session – expert perspectives with structured takeaways
- Case Study Session – a real challenge, solution and measurable results
Audience Levels for Breakout Sessions
To keep the 2026 Workforce Summit dynamic and impactful, every breakout will include an audience experience level selected by the presenter. These levels help attendees quickly find the sessions that match their background, interests and confidence in workforce development so everyone gets the right mix of inspiration and practical value.
Our Indicator System will guide the entire agenda and signal the depth, complexity and engagement style of each session. As you prepare your proposal, think boldly about the strength of your insights and the reach of your experience. When you clearly define your session level and audience, you help us build an exciting program that blends foundational ideas, practical strategies and advanced expertise so every attendee leaves energized and ready to elevate their workforce.
Before choosing, ask yourself: Have I influenced others? Have I shaped a program or direction? If yes, don’t hesitate to choose a higher level.
- Beginner: Ideal for attendees who are just getting started. These sessions introduce core concepts, provide definitions and walk through step‑by‑step approaches with proven examples participants can adapt.
- Accessible ROI: Clear explanations of the value or impact generated (e.g., early outcomes, cost savings, efficiency improvements)
- Intermediate: Designed for those who have supported or piloted workforce initiatives.
These sessions offer tools, frameworks and lessons learned to help attendees improve, scale or refine existing efforts.- Applied ROI: Demonstrated outcomes from manufacturer implementation (e.g., productivity gains, reduced turnover, cost avoidance, retention improvements)
- Advanced / Expert: Built for experienced leaders shaping strategy across teams or partners. These sessions focus on benchmarking, ROI, system‑level thinking, and innovative models to test, pressure‑check and advance.
- Strategic ROI: Long-term value, system-wide outcomes, multi-year impact models, and strategic returns (e.g., innovation capacity, reduced operational risk, culture transformation)
Speaker Benefits
- Discounted Summit Access – Enjoy full access to the Workforce Summit at a significantly reduced rate.
- Visibility & Recognition – Your name, company, and session details will be featured on the conference website, newsletters and social media.
- Customizable Social Media Graphics – If provided for your session, you’ll have access to branded speaker graphics to promote your participation on your personal channels.
- Industry Leadership Spotlight – Showcase your organization's expertise and workforce development successes by sharing best practices with industry leaders.
Evaluation Process
All submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Strategy and Theme Alignment: Does the session address a real workforce challenge with clear context and a strong connection to the Summit theme, Skills at Scale: Delivering America’s Competitive Advantage?
- Strength of the Solution: Is the approach well designed, clearly explained and supported by tools or methods that others can replicate?
- Impact and Results: Are the outcomes measurable and meaningful, and does the proposal show how improvement happened?
- Learning Experience and Interactivity: Does the session include purposeful engagement that supports learning and fits the room setup?
- Audience Fit and Speaker Readiness: Is the session matched to the right audience level, and are the speakers prepared with a realistic delivery plan?
·Proposal Submission & Selection Process
- Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026, by 5:00 PM EDT.
- Notifications: Selected speakers will be informed by June 1, 2026.
Speaker Responsibilities
To be considered as a speaker, you must agree to:
- Register and attend the conference in person and complete your own discounted registration travel and lodging (all speakers must cover all related costs to attend)
- Prepare session materials after your required review meeting with the Workforce Summit team representatives (review meetings will happen between the months of July/August)
- Coordinate with any co-presenters for a smooth session
- Allow your session details to appear on the Manufacturing Institute website
- Submit presentation materials and required speaker information by the stated deadlines
- Maintain timely communication throughout the process
- Provide session materials by September 30, 2026
The Manufacturing Institute may remove a speaker or session at any time before the event if responsibilities are not fulfilled.
For additional questions, contact workforce@nam.org.
2026 Workforce Summit Proposals
The Manufacturing Institute is hosting its fifth annual Workforce Summit, Skills at Scale: Delivering America’s Competitive Advantage, from October 26–28, 2026, in Indianapolis, IN. This year’s Summit focuses on the workforce capabilities manufacturers need to grow and compete. Industry leaders, practitioners and experts will share practical approaches for building strong talent pipelines, developing technical and digital skills and supporting a workforce prepared for rapid technological change. Across keynotes, case studies and peer discussions, attendees will learn what leading manufacturers are doing to improve retention, expand training and create work environments that support long‑term success. The Summit is designed for participants to walk away with actionable strategies they can implement immediately.
Call for Proposals
Bring your best employer-driven ideas and the results that back them up. We are most interested in breakout sessions that show:
- Building Skills for the Modern Shop Floor: Approaches that strengthen frontline capability, technical proficiency and leadership readiness - supported by real-world results.
- Agile Models for Rapidly Changing Production: Training, systems and tools that help teams adapt quickly as technologies, processes and expectations evolve.
- Partnerships That Expand Talent Pipelines: Employer, educator, community collaborations that improve access to skilled talent and prepare individuals for true manufacturing careers.
- Engaging, Applied Learning Experiences: Interactive session formats that spark participation, problem‑solving and practical skill-building for manufacturers of all sizes.
Who Should Apply?
We’re looking for manufacturing leaders, practitioners and problem‑solvers who have tackled real workforce challenges and can share solutions with proven impact. If you’ve introduced a new idea, reimagined an existing approach or achieved measurable results that others can learn from, we want your session on our Summit agenda! Sales presentations will not be accepted. A limited number of breakout sessions will be available for sponsorship by vendors or service providers. If you are interested in learning about opportunities to sponsor this event, please contact Mitch Harle, Senior Manager of MI Partnerships & Philanthropy at MHarle@nam.org
Breakout Session Details
When applying to present a breakout session, you’ll be asked for:
- Session Title: A clear, compelling title that captures your topic and draws attendees in.
- Connection to the Conference Theme, Skills at Scale: Delivering America’s Competitive Advantage
A brief explanation of how your session supports this year’s focus areas – such as adaptability, continuous learning or human-centered innovation. - Session Format: Select one of three options and note how you’ll engage attendees:
- Workshop Session – highly interactive and hands‑on
- Expert Insights Session – expert perspectives with structured takeaways
- Case Study Session – a real challenge, solution and measurable results
Audience Levels for Breakout Sessions
To keep the 2026 Workforce Summit dynamic and impactful, every breakout will include an audience experience level selected by the presenter. These levels help attendees quickly find the sessions that match their background, interests and confidence in workforce development so everyone gets the right mix of inspiration and practical value.
Our Indicator System will guide the entire agenda and signal the depth, complexity and engagement style of each session. As you prepare your proposal, think boldly about the strength of your insights and the reach of your experience. When you clearly define your session level and audience, you help us build an exciting program that blends foundational ideas, practical strategies and advanced expertise so every attendee leaves energized and ready to elevate their workforce.
Before choosing, ask yourself: Have I influenced others? Have I shaped a program or direction? If yes, don’t hesitate to choose a higher level.
- Beginner: Ideal for attendees who are just getting started. These sessions introduce core concepts, provide definitions and walk through step‑by‑step approaches with proven examples participants can adapt.
- Accessible ROI: Clear explanations of the value or impact generated (e.g., early outcomes, cost savings, efficiency improvements)
- Intermediate: Designed for those who have supported or piloted workforce initiatives.
These sessions offer tools, frameworks and lessons learned to help attendees improve, scale or refine existing efforts.- Applied ROI: Demonstrated outcomes from manufacturer implementation (e.g., productivity gains, reduced turnover, cost avoidance, retention improvements)
- Advanced / Expert: Built for experienced leaders shaping strategy across teams or partners. These sessions focus on benchmarking, ROI, system‑level thinking, and innovative models to test, pressure‑check and advance.
- Strategic ROI: Long-term value, system-wide outcomes, multi-year impact models, and strategic returns (e.g., innovation capacity, reduced operational risk, culture transformation)
Speaker Benefits
- Discounted Summit Access – Enjoy full access to the Workforce Summit at a significantly reduced rate.
- Visibility & Recognition – Your name, company, and session details will be featured on the conference website, newsletters and social media.
- Customizable Social Media Graphics – If provided for your session, you’ll have access to branded speaker graphics to promote your participation on your personal channels.
- Industry Leadership Spotlight – Showcase your organization's expertise and workforce development successes by sharing best practices with industry leaders.
Evaluation Process
All submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Strategy and Theme Alignment: Does the session address a real workforce challenge with clear context and a strong connection to the Summit theme, Skills at Scale: Delivering America’s Competitive Advantage?
- Strength of the Solution: Is the approach well designed, clearly explained and supported by tools or methods that others can replicate?
- Impact and Results: Are the outcomes measurable and meaningful, and does the proposal show how improvement happened?
- Learning Experience and Interactivity: Does the session include purposeful engagement that supports learning and fits the room setup?
- Audience Fit and Speaker Readiness: Is the session matched to the right audience level, and are the speakers prepared with a realistic delivery plan?
·Proposal Submission & Selection Process
- Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026, by 5:00 PM EDT.
- Notifications: Selected speakers will be informed by June 1, 2026.
Speaker Responsibilities
To be considered as a speaker, you must agree to:
- Register and attend the conference in person and complete your own discounted registration travel and lodging (all speakers must cover all related costs to attend)
- Prepare session materials after your required review meeting with the Workforce Summit team representatives (review meetings will happen between the months of July/August)
- Coordinate with any co-presenters for a smooth session
- Allow your session details to appear on the Manufacturing Institute website
- Submit presentation materials and required speaker information by the stated deadlines
- Maintain timely communication throughout the process
- Provide session materials by September 30, 2026
The Manufacturing Institute may remove a speaker or session at any time before the event if responsibilities are not fulfilled.
For additional questions, contact workforce@nam.org.