Session Chair: Francis Alueta - Altafiber/Hawaiian Telcom

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that 35% of U.S. workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years, highlighting the need for upskilling in fast-changing sectors like telecom. This session gives leaders practical tools to upskill their team members using adaptive leadership strategies.  These resilient, high-performing team members will be better equipped to build, maintain and scale today and tomorrow’s networks.

Session Chair: Francis Alueta - Altafiber/Hawaiian Telcom

Three-quarters of telecom companies identify the shortage of skilled workers as their primary challenge. Despite attractive salaries, this gap persists due to the generational preference for traditional four-year degrees over trades. Moreover, leaders of smaller workforces need to adapt to continual uncertainty while keeping teams engaged and high performing. This session will share a proven framework that empowers you to navigate change, build resilience, and confidently lead. Walk away with practical coaching techniques and adaptive leadership strategies to strengthen your team and drive results while maintaining your well-being as a leader.

Join Janice Oliva, Endeavor Business Media, as she moderates a lively panel discussion with telecom game-changing thought leaders and strategists. The session will dive into topics including: Key network growth drivers and headwinds, fiber capacity questions, converged/hybrid networks, bridging the digital divide with creative network solutions and BEAD realities. Sponsored by Clearfield, Esri, Millennium, TAK Communications, and Vitruvi.

Pricing:

• Full Conference Registrants: The half-day program is Included in your registration fee but you must RSVP.  Lunch is an additional fee of $40. Contact Danielle McCloud at dmccloud@endeavorb2b.com to RSVP for the program and/or add lunch to your registration if you have already registered.  
• Non-conference Registrants: $75.00 (includes access to the Program for all three days and free access to the Exhibit Hall Wednesday and Thursday.) Click here to register. 
• Lunch (plated sit-down luncheon) is an additional registration fee of $40 for full or non-conference registrants.

8:00-9:00 AM: State of the Industry Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A 
Join broadband leaders as they explore the challenges, best practices and successes to recruit, retain and inspire the broadband workforce that evolves the fixed and mobile networks we all rely on to live, work and play.  

9:15-10:15 AM: Best Practices: Training & Expanding the Broadband Workforce
CONNECTLA shares challenges/opportunities for the state and economic development; and providers share best practices/stories/future initiatives about broadband training and growth.

10:30-11:30 AM: Closing Keynote 
Tom Maguire - Brightspeed
 

11:45 AM-1:00 PM:  Lunch followed by Executive Fireside Chat & Audience Q&A (plated sit-down lunch, registration required + additional fee of $40)​​​​​

1:00-2:30 PM: Sponsored Tech Training Tours on Exhibit Floor 

Session Chair: Sherry Hessenthaler - Brightspeed

According to the 2024 Global State of the Skills Economy Report by Cornerstone, demand for human skills continues to outpace digital skills, with North America seeing a 2.4 times higher demand for human skills. This underscores the market's need for programs that enhance human-centered capabilities alongside the telecom industry’s technological advancements. In this dynamic seminar, you’ll discover the five essential inner tools that drive success, helping you navigate uncertainty, make empowered decisions, and take bold action to lead with clarity in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.