Affirmative Action Planning 101

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Affirmative Action Planning 101

A Five-Part Series on the Fundamentals of AAPs

This five-part educational series covers the basics of federal contractor EEO and affirmative action compliance obligations. For Affirmative Action Program (AAP)  beginners, the series establishes an educational foundation to participate in the more advanced training programs offered by The Institute for Workplace Equality. For the more advanced compliance professional, it acts as an AAP refresher course. Sessions cover the development of an affirmative action program—from the beginning stages of understanding the legal and regulatory requirements to developing the structure of an AAP—the necessary data analytics, and government enforcement capabilities. In sessions four and five, a panel of EEO professionals shares their experiences and insights about affirmative action development, implementation, and enforcement.


Session 1

EEO Basics and Compliance Obligations

April 1, 2024

PRESENTERS: Consuela Pinto and Chris Wilkinson

The first session of this series will serve to lay the foundation for preparing an Affirmative Action Program. Presenters will discuss the regulatory authority, obligations, and Agency enforcement for federal contractors.


  • EEO Basics and Compliance Obligations – EO 11246, Section 503, VEVRAA
  • Other EEO Obligations
  • OFCCP Audits and Enforcement – Selection and High-Level Overview

Session 2

Affirmative Action Plan Development

April 8, 2024

PRESENTERS: Joanna Colosimo and Consuela Pinto

Session 2 covers the core content around creating the required reporting obligations of an Affirmative Action Plan. This includes a review of how a Workforce Analysis, Job Group Analysis, Availability, Utilization Analysis, and Goals reports are created and analyzed. The session will not only focus on the ‘how-to’ of creating an AAP, but also key takeaways for structuring an AAP in a strategic and useful way. Additionally, the session includes key takeaways on how to read, interpret, and implement the results from an AAP.


Session 3

Adverse Impact, EEO Statistical Disparities, and OFCCP Compensation Basics

April 15, 2024

PRESENTERS: Lynn Clements and Michelle Duncan

Session 3 reviews key concepts of analyzing the personnel activity portion (hires, applicants, promotions, terminations, etc.) of an Affirmative Action Program. The session focuses on the regulatory basis for conducting EEO disparity analytics, how to conduct and interpret the analyses, as well as new compensation analysis requirements. Presenters also discuss the key takeaways on understanding risk to the organization.


Session 4

Implementation of Affirmative Action Obligations (with Advisory Board Insights)

April 22, 2024

PRESENTERS: Jason Capili and Kevin Carpenter; Moderated by Joanna Colosimo

In the fourth installment of the AAP 101 series, we will hear from a panel of EEO professionals regarding their thoughts on AAP best practices, tips and hurdles they’ve encountered as they worked through AAP implementation, and how to engage with internal stakeholders.


Session 5

Navigating OFCCP Audits (with Advisory Board Insights)

April 29, 2024

PRESENTERS: Jason Capili and Kevin Carpenter; Moderated by Joanna Colosimo

In the final session of the AAP 101 series, we hear from a panel of EEO professionals on the fundamentals of OFCCP audits, experiences in preparing for an OFCCP audit, and navigating through the course of an audit. This includes a highlight of OFCCP audit strategies and what to expect when OFCCP elevates audit situations.

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