Looking beyond the sector: Why diverse experience strengthens workforce capability
by Carissa McAllister, First Nations Industry Workforce Advisor (Health and Social Assistance)
When organisations think about workforce development, there can be a tendency to look within their own sector and what they know for solutions. However, some of the most valuable workforce insights come from experience gained across different industries, regions, and organisational environments.
To address workforce challenges, organisations should consider broadening their recruitment lens and looking beyond their own sector for talent. Candidates who share the organisation’s values and purpose often bring highly transferable capabilities such as leadership, problem-solving, relationship building, and strategic thinking, along with fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to workforce development.
For Rosalyn Mann, Workforce Sustainability Lead at Wakai Waian Healing, a growing organisation delivering culturally grounded, trauma-informed mental health services across Queensland, a diverse career journey has shaped her approach to workforce strategy, leadership, and organisational capability. Her experience across multiple industries has provided unique insights into building sustainable workforces, developing people, and creating organisations where both employees and communities can thrive.
“I have spent my career moving across industries, regions and organisational sizes, and that journey has shaped the way I think about people, capability and workforce strategy,” says Rosalyn.
“I started in universities and community organisations, moved through major infrastructure and natural resource projects, stepped into mining and resources with some of Australia’s largest employers, and later supported small Indigenous owned businesses and local government. Each sector taught me something different about how people work, what they need to thrive, and how organisations grow when they invest in their workforce.”
Throughout her career, Rosalyn has observed that while industries may differ, the foundations of workforce success remain remarkably consistent.
“Working in multinationals gave me a deep understanding of structure, governance, leadership development and large-scale workforce systems. Government roles taught me the importance of transparency, community engagement and service delivery. Small business sharpened my ability to be practical, agile and hands on. Across all of it, I learned how to build processes that actually work for people, not just for policy documents.”
Now working in the health sector, Rosalyn draws on lessons from every stage of her career.
“Coming into the health sector, I brought that full breadth of experience with me. I may be new to health, but I am not new to the workforce. The fundamentals of building capability, supporting people, strengthening culture and planning for the future are universal.”
She believes one of the greatest benefits of working across sectors is the ability to identify opportunities and solutions that may otherwise go unnoticed.
“In fact, having worked across so many sectors, I can see opportunities that others might miss. I understand how to translate good practice from one industry into another, how to design systems that fit the organisation rather than forcing the organisation to fit the system, and how to think creatively when the usual solutions are not enough.”
Rosalyn is also a strong advocate for broadening recruitment approaches and recognising the value of transferable skills.
“One of the messages I share often is that organisations should not limit themselves to recruiting only from within the health sector. Functional knowledge can be learned. What matters is the ability to lead people, build systems, understand behaviour, manage change and think strategically.”
“When you bring in people with diverse sector backgrounds, you also bring in new ways of thinking, new problem-solving approaches and a broader understanding of how different industries tackle similar challenges.”
For Rosalyn, workforce capability is built through diversity of experience, perspectives, and ideas.
“My career has shown me that workforce capability is built through diversity of experience, not sameness. And in this role, I draw on every part of my background, from mining to government to community relations to small business, to help build a strong, sustainable and people-centred workforce for the future.”
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