Talent shortlisted for APSCo awards on leadership & Rise

Talent Group has been named a finalist in two categories at the APSCo Australia Awards for Excellence, recognising its internal leadership programme and the work of Rise by Talent.

The group is shortlisted in the Leadership Pathway Program category for Sprint, an internal scheme designed to develop leaders from within the business. Its social enterprise arm, Rise by Talent, is also a finalist in the ESG category for a programme focused on helping migrant women move into technology roles.

The dual recognition reflects two parts of the group's strategy: developing staff internally and addressing workforce shortages in the technology sector. Refreshed 12 months ago, the Rise programme now combines AI training, mentoring, industry experience and employer partnerships.

The programme comes amid continuing concern about Australia's digital labour market. Talent says the country is projected to need more than 1.3 million technology workers by 2030, while women make up 29% of the technology workforce. It also pointed to a mismatch affecting new arrivals: 69% of recent migrants have formal qualifications but often struggle to convert those credentials into suitable jobs.

Skills gap

Rise was created to address that gap by preparing high-potential migrant women for careers in technology. Over the past year, five women from the programme moved into roles at Talent in Business Applications, Junior AI Automation, Solutions Architecture and Helpdesk.

Participants have also secured placements with Cricket Australia, UTS, Avec and Talent. The organisation says the programme follows a trans-Tasman model and has engaged more than 4,500 people, helped more than 550 into employment and led to more than 120 technology careers.

The model is intended to do more than provide training. By linking participants with employers and work experience, it aims to improve their chances of turning technical learning into paid roles.

The other finalist entry is Sprint, Talent's internal leadership pathway. While few operational details were disclosed, the nomination suggests it is a structured route for developing managers from within the business rather than relying solely on external hiring.

Internal progression has become a growing focus across recruitment and consulting groups as they face pressure to retain staff and build specialist expertise. For companies operating across staffing, consulting and project delivery, leadership pipelines can be critical to maintaining service quality and reducing turnover.

Programme outcomes

Talent describes itself as a multi-brand organisation spanning recruitment, workforce services, consulting, IT project delivery, workforce augmentation and social impact. Its brands include Talent, Solve by Talent, Avec, Scale by Avec and Rise by Talent.

The group says it was founded in 1995 and operates across Australia, New Zealand and the US. That footprint gives context to the awards recognition, particularly for programmes that depend on internal development and external employer networks.

Megan Woodbury, Global Chief Operating Officer at Talent International, described one instance where a Rise participant's work had an immediate practical effect. "The AI agent one of our Rise interns developed solved a genuine business challenge that had temporarily stalled our team. It was a clear demonstration that Rise participants don't just learn technology - they apply it to create real business value," Woodbury said.

One participant cited by the company was Tanya, who moved from a Rise internship into Talent's Business Applications team before taking a Solutions Architect role at Avec. Her account points to the programme's role as a bridge between training and permanent employment.

"Rise by Talent gave me more than technical skills," Tanya said.

"It helped me build the confidence, commercial mindset and professional behaviors that employers look for, giving me the opportunity to begin my career in technology," Tanya said.

The figures released by Talent suggest the programme has grown beyond a small pilot into a broader employment pathway with measurable placements. More than 550 people supported into employment and more than 120 technology careers created indicate the initiative has extended beyond internships into longer-term job outcomes.

For employers, the model offers another route into a tight labour market by widening the candidate pool. Migrant women with formal qualifications are one group that can be overlooked despite existing skills, and targeted pathways such as Rise aim to reduce barriers around qualification recognition, local experience and hiring decisions.

The nomination for Sprint adds another dimension by focusing on how Talent develops its own people. Taken together, the two finalist spots place the company's internal management pipeline alongside its external employment programme for underrepresented groups.