Conpower

CPP’s Talent Acquisition team is a finalist for Enterprise Talent Team of the Year at the 2026 Internal Talent Awards (ITAs). A prestigious event celebrating excellence in the talent acquisition industry, the ITAs are Australia and New Zealand’s most respected awards for in-house teams, open to every sector, often likened to the Logies of the talent acquisition world.

For CPP’s Talent Acquisition Manager Jake Ellul, the recognition already means everything. “Honestly, being shortlisted is the win for us. 2026 has been our biggest year yet, and I’ve seen firsthand how hard the team has worked, to have that acknowledged on a national stage is a huge achievement.”

The strategy behind the numbers

Over the past year, the team made around 190 hires — a quarter of CPP’s workforce — while keeping agency use to just 2%, in one of the toughest markets for engineering and construction talent.

But the real story is the shift behind those numbers: from filling roles as they’re raised to genuine workforce partnering — giving leaders the market intelligence to decide where and how to grow. That advisory work has directly shaped where CPP has expanded its engineering leadership across Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

It’s also meant challenging traditional hiring methods and mindsets. With experienced professionals becoming increasingly scarce and largely settled where they are, the team has worked closely with hiring managers to broaden their thinking beyond direct industry experience. This has included building confidence in hiring for transferable skills and investing in emerging talent through graduates and apprentices, supported by CPP’s strong track record of developing early-career professionals. “You need to think differently about how you approach the market,” Jake says. “The strategies that worked a few years ago don’t necessarily work today. You have to adapt how you attract people and shape your hiring approach around the realities of the market, rather than expecting the market to adapt to you.”

The in-house advantage

The ITAs specifically recognise in-house teams, and Jake is clear on why that model works. “We know the business inside and out — the hiring managers, the teams, the culture. We’re not just filling a role, we’re finding the right person who fits all of it. That’s what drives a longer-term quality of hire.” It’s a depth of understanding, and a candidate experience, he says an external agency can’t replicate. CPP still partners with one trusted agency for hard-to-fill roles, but by design, the vast majority of hiring is delivered in-house.

Why it matters

In a market defined by high demand and short supply, national recognition alongside leading organisations from every industry is a meaningful signal — proof that CPP doesn’t just fill roles quickly, but invests real time, strategy and care in getting the right people into the right teams.

It’s a culture Jake says people notice from the inside. “CPP are highly respected in the industry, we win the biggest projects going around, and we’re growing fast. But what really sets us apart is the people. It’s an organisation where people actually look forward to work, you won’t hear about many Sunday night blues around here.”

Congratulations to the entire talent acquisition team: Jake Ellul, Amber Rose Sharley, Amelia Moritz, Alicia Faust, Andy Vo, Jessica Bales and Renee Hurst, well-deserved recognition.

Winners will be announced 3 September 2026.