WASHINGTON - The U.S. Labor Department's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives will host a virtual forum from November 8-19, 2004 to engage government, businesses and faith-based and community groups in a discussion about the 21st century workforce. The free conference, "Dreams, Stories and Opportunities: Community and Faith-Based Solutions for the 21st Century Workforce" will take place entirely online, and is part of the agency's Touching Lives & Communities (TLC) Technical Assistance Project.

"We believe this forum will help faith-based and community organizations and Workforce Investment Act officials develop solutions by learning from one another. There is a wealth of information to be shared through this conference from national experts and local practitioners," said Brent Orrell, Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Participants will be able to exchange views and ideas with a host of government and business leaders as well as leaders of faith-based and community groups from across the country. In the first week, Labor Department staff will discuss with participants the changing economy and how to prepare people effectively for the job market and high growth industries. A number of authors, scholars, and local non-profit leaders will also share innovative partnership models and their thoughts about how faith-based and community organizations can better serve their communities and find public and private financial support.

The second week will focus on how non-profits can partner with the publicly funded One-Stop Career Center system and how government leaders can adapt best practices to the needs of their local systems. These practices include creating access points to publicly funded One-Stop Career Centers and developing effective resource directories.

Among the authors and academics selected to participate in the forum are: Robert Putnam, author of the bestselling book, Bowling Alone and Better Together; Ruby Kay Payne and Phillip Devol, authors of Bridges Out of Poverty; Steven Monsma of Pepperdine University; and Maria Madrid from Hudson-FASTEN Institute. A number of U.S. Department of Labor grantees and staff will be on hand to share their experiences as well.

Interested parties can learn more about the program and register for the forum at www.dol-tlc.org.