CONFERENCE
2022 CAEL Annual Conference
November 16 -18, 2022 / Chicago, IL
Where
When
Now in its 48th year, the CAEL Annual Conference is widely known as the place for leaders to connect with experts from postsecondary education, workforce and economic development, and industry.
The CAEL conference is a unique opportunity to learn from educators, employers, and community leaders focused on aligning learning and work so that adults achieve continuous economic advancement. It is an exciting hybrid experience to accommodate both in person and virtual participation, held in accordance with all local and national safety regulations. You’ll have a unique opportunity to meet the best minds in adult learning, inside and outside of postsecondary education.
Who Should Attend?
Attendees share a desire to improve the connections between education and career that drive adult learner success and equitable economic growth. With over 1,000 attendees at CAEL’s 2021 Hybrid Conference, we’re building on the momentum for 2022, when we’ll again bring together adult learning leaders from postsecondary institutions, workforce and economic development, and other organizations working to support and serve adult learners. These are the typical attendees at CAEL’s annual conference:
- Adult Learning specialists and advocates
- Leaders or practitioners of accelerated programs (i.e. 8-week) and/or online learning programs
- Employers investing in workforce education & training
- Prior Learning Assessment faculty and administrators
- Those interested in Competency-Based Assessment
- Government, labor, business, and educational professionals involved in workforce development programs and policy
- Executives and managers of nonprofits and community-based organizations working with adult learners
- Individuals involved in issues related to skills standards and employability
- College representatives interested in creating a more adult learning focused institution
- Human resource development and training professionals
- Continuing education professionals
Subscribe to 2022 Conference Updates
Become a member
Join CAEL today and become part of a community striving to create a world where every adult has a pathway to lifelong learning and meaningful work.


Registration Now Open
Whether you prefer to join us in person in Chicago, or virtually, the conference is an opportunity to learn from leading minds across the entire work-learn ecosystem.
Nominate Your Hero
We welcome nominations for our four awards that honor excellence through key lenses in the adult learning experience. Our shared mission prospers when we recognize and encourage individual, organizational and institutional excellence in supporting adult learners. Every day, you see their work in action and no one is more qualified to identify the latest heroes than the CAEL community.
Nominations are now closed for the 2022 Annual Conference
Sponsor the Conference
Every year, we're fortunate to have an amazing lineup of sponsors who are enthusiastic about getting their message in front of the most engaged audience of post secondary leaders, workforce dynamos and HR rockstars for synergy.