Building Employability Through Social Capital: Insights from the Talent Accelerate Program

Facilitator/s:

Tara Jacobsen, Groei Education

Workshop Description:

For many young people in regional and rural areas, the challenge of employability is not a lack of skill or ambition, but a lack of networks. Traditional career pathways rely heavily on social capital, the relationships, trust, and opportunities that connect people to meaningful work. Yet in low-density network contexts, like many parts of regional Australia, these connections are often missing.

The Australian Government Federally funded program, Talent Accelerate Program, piloted in partnership with regional businesses and schools in Australia, addressed this challenge by combining credentialing with work-integrated learning opportunities. The program showed that employability outcomes are strengthened when young people not only gain skills, but also learn how to intentionally develop, name, and leverage their social capital.

This workshop will share the framework, tools, and lessons from the Talent Accelerate Program. Participants will experience interactive activities used with young people to help them map, expand, and activate their networks. The session will also highlight findings from the program’s white paper, including how digital credentials, when linked to authentic work-based experiences, enhance visibility of both skills and social capital.

Objectives or Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand how social capital functions as a key enabler of employability for young people in regional contexts.
• Analyse how linking credentialing to work-integrated learning supports both human and social capital development.
• Apply simple tools to help learners identify, expand, and activate their social networks.
• Reflect on how social capital focused approaches can strengthen equity and access in education and workforce pathways.

Intended Audience:

This workshop is designed for researchers, educators, policy-makers, and practitioners who are seeking practical, evidence-based strategies to integrate social capital into education and workforce initiatives. It is especially relevant for those working with youth, regional communities, or in contexts where network access is limited.

About the Facilitator/s:

Tara Jacobsen is the Co-Founder and Director of Groei Education and a PhD candidate at the University of Southern Queensland, where her research focuses on how social capital influences employability and entrepreneurial outcomes for youth in regional Australia. She has led national and state-funded programs, including the federally funded Talent Accelerate Program, which piloted innovative credentialing and work-integrated learning models to strengthen regional workforce pipelines. With over two decades of experience in vocational and higher education, Tara is a recognised leader in youth entrepreneurship, regional skills development, and industry–education partnerships. She has presented at national and international forums on innovation, employability, and future skills, and her work has been published in white papers and policy submissions. Her expertise bridges research and practice, designing scalable models that connect young people to industry networks and foster economic resilience through the deliberate development of social capital.