IEEE WIE Conference Will Explore the Future of Work

Topics include leadership training, career management, and new tech

3 min read
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The 2022 IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference is scheduled for 6 and 7 June in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual networking events. The in-person events are to take place at the San Diego Convention Center.

The annual WIE ILC aims to support and sustain female leaders and technologists, especially mid- to senior-career workers. This year’s theme is Transforming Leadership.

The hybrid format lets attendees and speakers decide how to attend based on their own risk assessment. Virtual attendees will be able to access livestreams and remote events online. All in-person sessions will be recorded and made available to virtual attendees at a later date.

The past two conferences have been held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they both were successful, reaching a large international audience.

Proposals are being sought for this year’s keynote speakers and events, such as breakout sessions, panels, and workshops. The deadline is 1 February.

A SESSION FOR EVERYONE

In the past, the most popular WIE ILC sessions have been skill-building workshops for career management, breakout talks on new technologies, and executive leadership training sessions. They will be back this year as well.

Leadership and career topics to be covered at this year’s conference include career management; the future of remote/hybrid work; and increasing inclusion, intersectionality, and representation.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, 5G, the Internet of Things, and the interface between business and technology will be explored in sessions and panels.

This year the conference is introducing Birds of a Feather sessions, which are designed to provide a safe space for like-minded attendees to network. Session attendees can discuss topics that are affecting them, such as caregiving, technology integration, and balancing being an underrepresented minority with working as an engineer. Attendees who are interested in leading a conversation on a topic of their choice can submit their suggestion on the IEEE WIE ILC website.

IEEE members can plan and host their own virtual global networking event during the conference. It can focus on specific IEEE regions or sections and can be conducted in various languages. Contact the conference committee staff if you’re interested in holding a networking event.

FLEXIBLE PLATFORM

WIE ILC’s virtual platform is flexible and interactive for attendees, speakers, and sponsors. It uses artificial intelligence to connect attendees with other participants who have similar interests. The platform also can identify and share program content that attendees might find interesting based on sessions they have attended.

The AI engine can connect sponsors and attendees through its “matchmaking” capabilities, which consider what sessions participants are attending and their profile information. Attendees who have expressed interest in a specific technology or career in a particular engineering field will be matched with sponsors in that area so the two can talk in more detail. Interested sponsors should contact the conference committee staff.

SPEAKERS NEEDED

Past speakers have had diverse backgrounds, and the plan is to continue that trend this year.

The WIE ILC is seeking experts who can talk about subjects such as the future of work, effectively leading dispersed teams, adapting to hybrid workplaces, and career transitions. The pandemic is causing many people around the world to change jobs and even careers, and the conference is looking for speakers who can help attendees through such transitions.

Speaker proposals may be submitted on the IEEE WIE ILC website.

Talks from last year’s conference are still available on IEEE.TV. They include keynotes from Qualcomm’s Susie Armstrong, Intel’s Sandra Rivera, and McAfee’s Lynne Doherty.

One speaker from last year’s conference who resonated with many was Julie Coker from the San Diego Tourism Authority. She told the audience to “find their seat at the corporate table.”

“If there is no table, make one,” Coker said. “If there is no chair, bring your own.”

We hope to see you virtually or in San Diego.

The Conversation (1)
Robert Klammer
Robert Klammer19 Jan, 2022
LM

Perhaps the title, "IEEE WIE Conference Will Explore the Future of Work" was poorly chosen because none of the subjects listed directly discuss the future of work - they all support how to deal with that future. It would seem to me that what the future of work was going to look like would need to be well established before effective strategies for "skill-building workshops for career management, breakout talks on new technologies, and executive leadership training sessions" could be developed. Are there assumptions being made about the future of work by all these sessions and workshops that attendees should be aware of? Work and the workplace are in an unprecedented state of flux making their future characteristics unclear. A conference devoted to this subject would certainly be warranted. But without such an understanding of the future nature of work and the workplace, how can the viability of reactionary strategies be evaluated and applied by the individual?