Case studies
Real examples of how capability visibility creates opportunity, drives inclusion and strengthens communities.
Expanding opportunity for women through capability visibility
QBE FOUNDATION LOCAL GRANT RECIPIENT
In 2025, the Human Potential Project (formerly WYWM Academy) was awarded a QBE Foundation Local Grant to expand the WithWomen initiative, a program designed to help women identify their strengths, build digital skills and access meaningful career opportunities in technology.
The initiative was created in response to a persistent challenge: many women possess the capability to succeed in technology careers but do not see themselves reflected in the industry, nor recognise how their existing skills and experiences translate into technology roles. Women remain significantly underrepresented across Australia's technology workforce, particularly those from culturally diverse, regional and non-traditional backgrounds.
Through capability assessments, skills discovery, training pathways and career support, the program helps participants uncover transferable skills, understand their potential and explore future-focused career opportunities. The approach focuses on capability rather than traditional credentials, helping individuals identify strengths that may otherwise remain hidden.
The QBE Foundation grant enabled the program to scale nationally, with a goal of supporting 2,000 women to explore careers in technology through free skills assessments, tailored digital training, industry-recognised certifications and ongoing career support. The program particularly focused on women facing systemic barriers to workforce participation, including women from First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse and other underrepresented communities.
The initiative demonstrated the power of capability visibility as a tool for economic empowerment. By helping women better understand and articulate their skills and potential, the program increased confidence, expanded career aspirations and created pathways into industries experiencing significant skills shortages.
KEY LEARNINGS
Many individuals underestimate their capability because they lack visibility of their transferable skills.
Traditional hiring and education pathways often overlook capable talent.
Technology-enabled capability discovery can significantly improve confidence and pathway visibility.
Skills-based approaches can help broaden participation in industries experiencing workforce shortages.
Data generated through capability assessments provides valuable insight into hidden talent pools and workforce potential.
These learnings continue to inform the Human Potential Project's work today, including the development of Australia's Hidden Capability Project and the Human Capability Index.
Addressing Queensland's digital skills shortage through hidden talent
UNLOCKING CAPABILITY IN UNDER-REPRESENTED QUEENSLANDERS
The Human Potential Project (formerly WYWM Academy) partnered with the Queensland Government and industry stakeholders to help address critical digital skills shortages by identifying and developing talent from under-represented communities.
As demand for digital skills continued to grow across Queensland, many employers faced ongoing challenges attracting qualified candidates. At the same time, thousands of Queenslanders possessed valuable transferable skills and untapped potential but lacked visibility of how their existing experiences could translate into technology and digital careers.
The initiative was designed to challenge the traditional assumption that digital talent can only be sourced from individuals with formal qualifications or previous industry experience. Instead, the program focused on identifying capability, aptitude and potential among individuals who may have been overlooked by conventional recruitment pathways.
Participants were provided with access to capability assessments, psychometric profiling and skills mapping tools that helped translate their work, life and educational experiences into recognised capabilities. Through these assessments, participants gained a clearer understanding of their strengths, transferable skills and capacity to learn and succeed in digital occupations.
The program particularly focused on engaging under-represented Queenslanders, including women, veterans, Indigenous Australians, career changers, regional communities and individuals experiencing barriers to workforce participation. By identifying hidden capability and connecting participants to relevant learning and employment pathways, the initiative helped create new opportunities for both individuals and employers.
Participants received personalised reports highlighting their strengths, capability profiles and recommended career pathways. These insights helped many participants discover opportunities they had not previously considered and provided greater confidence to pursue further training, employment or career transitions.
Impact
The program demonstrated that workforce shortages and unemployment can often exist simultaneously because capability remains hidden. By focusing on transferable skills, aptitude and learning potential rather than traditional credentials alone, the initiative expanded access to talent and created new pathways into high-demand digital careers.
The project also provided valuable insight into the role that capability visibility can play in addressing workforce shortages at a system level. By helping individuals better understand and articulate their strengths, the program increased confidence, improved pathway visibility and strengthened workforce participation outcomes.
KEY LEARNINGS
Significant pools of untapped talent exist within under-represented communities.
Transferable skills and learning potential are often stronger indicators of future success than previous job titles or qualifications.
Technology-enabled capability assessment can help individuals identify career pathways they may never have previously considered.
Skills-first approaches can help address workforce shortages while improving social and economic inclusion.
Workforce systems perform better when they focus on capability and potential rather than credentials alone.
The initiative helped demonstrate how hidden capability can be activated to address both individual and economic challenges, a principle that continues to underpin the Human Potential Project's work today.
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