2026 CAREER-CONNECTED L/EARNING Conference
Designing What’s Next in Career-Connected Learning
Join us Oct. 29-30 at the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs for the 2026 Career-Connected L/Earning Conference.
This isn’t a conference about ideas in isolation. It’s a working convening focused on building capacity among leaders and practitioners to design career pathways that deliver economic mobility.
Cohosted by The Attainment Network, Peak Education, Business & Education Alliance, and the Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative (CEEMI), the conference is designed by leaders with deep expertise in regional collaboration, data-informed decision-making, and equity-centered system design.
WHo SHOULD attend
The Career-Connected L/Earning Conference is designed for leaders and practitioners working at the intersection of education, workforce, and economic mobility:
- K-12, postsecondary, and adult Education
- Workforce
- Employers and Industry Associations
- State and Local Policymakers
- Researchers and Data Leaders
- Intermediaries
- Community-Based Organizations
- Funders
why attend
Participants will build their capacity to design and implement real change in education-to-workforce systems.
- Explore effective strategies to align K-12, postsecondary, workforce, and employer systems
- Dig into the role of data in improving navigation, accountability, and outcomes
- Hear directly from learners and earners on support they need to build meaningful careers
- Build relationships that support sustained collaboration beyond the conference
If you’re responsible for turning vision into results, this convening is for you.
Early registration is $350. Beginning August 1, the registration fee will increase to $400.
Submit a proposal to present
We’re seeking dynamic, practice-focused sessions that move beyond ideas in isolation and demonstrate how real change happens. We want to showcase work that:
- Advances high-quality career-connected pathways
- Strengthens career advising and navigation
- Builds trust in data and evidence to guide decision-making
- Demonstrates meaningful employer engagement
- Centers learner and earner perspectives
- Moves promising practices from pilots to measurable, scalable impact
🗓 Proposal deadline: March 31, 2026
BECOME A SPONSOR
Position your organization at the center of Colorado’s education-to-workforce transformation. The 2026 Career-Connected L/Earning Conference will convene up to 600 leaders from K–12, higher education, industry, government, and philanthropy for two days of collaboration, innovation, and action. Explore sponsorship opportunities designed to elevate your brand, amplify your impact, and demonstrate your commitment to advancing equitable career-connected pathways across the state.
YOUR CO-HOSTS
