Submit Conference for Approval

There are three options for conference approval: Short Conference, Regular Conference, and Large, Peer-Reviewed Conference (see below). Approval for any of these options should be applied for as soon as possible but no later than one month prior to the event. Please read the following information carefully before deciding to apply for conference approval:

Types for Conferences

Short Conference

A short conference is a one-time, half or full day event with (a) nationally, regionally, or state-wide known speaker(s) providing a single content session (not concurrent sessions).

Regular Conference

A regular conference is any training event held with 100 or more participants and offering concurrent sessions over multiple days.

Large, Peer-Reviewed Conference

Please call Georgia Training Approval to discuss this option before applying in order to avoid delay in approval. A large, peer-reviewed conference must meet the following criteria:

Multi-day, multi-session event
Sessions are solicited by an open call for proposals
Sessions are selected by a peer review selection process with peers other than agency staff/personnel
The peer review process screens the presentations for accurate content, qualifications of presenters and appropriate for audience intended

Conference Requirements

Conferences can only be approved at the beginning level.
No more than six (6) hours of state-approved training credit may be granted for a conference/training event. Opening and closing addresses, keynote speeches, luncheon speakers, site visits, CPR training, and First Aid training may not be included in the total clock hours of state-approved training credit.
Conferences are approved only as one-time events. All future events must be submitted with separate Conference Approval Applications prior to the event. No conferences are approved after the fact.
Conferences approved by Georgia Training Approval must be open to the public. Events, such as a "professional development day" for in-house training, that are not open to the public will not be reviewed as conferences by Georgia Training Approval.

Presenter Criteria

Presenters must meet at least one of the following criteria:

Current professional license in the field of training being offered.
Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in the field of training being offered.
Minimum of five years in presentation experience in specialty field (i.e. music, art, science, etc.).

Required Documentation

A complete Conference Approval Application should include the following:

List of presenters and their credentials/qualifications with copies of resumes^*
Training outline for each session^**
Conference marketing brochure
Tentative/anticipated agenda
Final conference program
Sample conference certificate
Evaluation form
For large, peer-reviewed conferences only: Signed statement from conference coordinator (or person responsible for the conference) documenting that an open call for proposals, peer review and screening was conducted (contact Georgia Training Approval before applying)

^*If a presenter is a state-approved trainer, provide the presenter's trainer code (TR-BFTS-XXX). Credentials/qualifications and resumes do not need to be submitted.
^**If a presenter is a state-approved trainer and is approved for the session(s) they are providing, provide the training code(s) (TG-BFTS-XXX) for each session. Training outlines do not need to be submitted.

Begin Application