Our story did not begin with an idea for a conference or a membership organisation. It began with decades of experience across higher education, employers, professional associations and international networks. Between us, we have led university career services, student success and employer engagement, built global emerging talent and workforce strategies, founded professional associations, undertaken research, advised organisations and governments and worked alongside practitioners around the world. Although our careers followed different paths, our observations led us to the same destination. Wherever we travelled, we encountered remarkably similar questions about employability, workforce capability, skills, technology, partnerships and the future of work.

Over the years four lessons became clear.

• The challenges are global.
• No single organisation has all the answers.
• Practitioners learn best from one another.
• Strong professions build stronger organisations.

These observations became the philosophy that underpins everything we do.

We believe meaningful professional development happens through ongoing relationships, shared experience and collective learning. Communities of Practice create trusted environments where practitioners exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, develop evidence-informed practice and build lasting collaborations. They exist to advance professions rather than promote products.

As the GCSS community matured, another pattern emerged. Many of the conversations taking place within higher education were mirrored by conversations taking place within employers. Career services professionals and emerging talent leaders were often solving different parts of the same challenge. This insight led naturally to the creation of the Global Emerging Talent (GET) Community—a complementary global Community of Practice supporting the professionals responsible for attracting, developing and retaining future talent.

Today GCSS and GET stand together as complementary Communities of Practice:

GCSS supports the professionals who prepare talent.
GET supports the professionals who develop talent.

Together they exist to build tomorrow’s capability by connecting the professionals who shape graduate and early-career success.

Belonging to one of our communities is more than joining a network.

It is becoming part of an international profession committed to learning, collaboration, thought leadership and continuous improvement.

Our communities are led by practitioners, for practitioners. The conversations are grounded in lived experience, informed by research and strengthened by global perspectives.

We believe the future of graduate and early-career success will be shaped not by individual organisations acting alone, but by connected professionals learning from one another and building capability together.

The GCSS and GET community is committed to creating an inclusive environment in which all individuals feel welcome, included, and safe to engage. Our different cultural viewpoints enhance our experiences, but may lead to misunderstandings. In our interactions, we assume positive intent and ask clarifying questions to check our assumptions.

We do not and shall not discriminate based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. We have zero tolerance for behaviors that promote discrimination.