BACKGROUND:
The Public Health Workforce (PHW) is a large and diverse group of professionals and volunteers whose work impacts health outcomes and helps us tackle health inequalities worldwide. However, data on the PHW is lacking, impacting future plans and workforce strategies. The World Congress on Public Health (WCPH), as the largest meeting of PHW members, is the perfect venue for them to share their experiences and professional needs, helping us put together a framework that will aid public health organisations in understanding how they can support them.

METHODS:
This interactive workshop will encourage participants to share 1. which data their countries or services have on the PHW, 2. Which national workforce plans and strategies (if any) support their education, training, recruitment, and professional development? 3. How can they build a career in public health, and what are the incentives to do so, and 4. What recognition these roles receive, particularly for the extended workforce (those who are not part of the core PHW and are not doctors or nurses). A facilitated discussion in which people will be encouraged to discuss in small groups and record their answers will be used to collect the information.

RESULTS:
The information gathered by the workshop will be used to create a framework that provides a wider understanding of the data we have, the plans that exist, and, most importantly, the gaps impacting the extended and core PHW growth and development, alongside the solutions and support the PHW itself would like to have.

CONCLUSIONS:
all participants of the WCPH are members of the PHW. Engaging them in a workshop to gather their local perspectives on workforce data, existing plans and strategies, professional development, and careers will aid in the construction of a framework that will help organisations understand how to better support them.