Mind the Gap: Why the Future of Engagement Depends on Investing in the ‘Missing Middle’

Australia’s engagement profession has evolved from a niche discipline to a recognised field shaping policy, planning, and organisational culture. But as Andrew Coulson highlighted in his recent piece The Missing Middle: Why Early-Mid Career Engagement Professionals Hold the Key to Australia’s Future, one challenge remains: how do we nurture and retain the early–mid career professionals who sit at the very heart of engagement practice?

At the Engagement Institute, we couldn’t agree more — and we believe closing this gap is critical to the sector’s future maturity.

The Engine Room of Engagement

Practitioners with three to ten years’ experience often carry the weight of the profession. They run the workshops, analyse the feedback, manage digital engagement, and hold the trust of communities day to day. They’re also the bridge between lived experience and strategy — connected enough to communities to listen deeply, yet skilled enough to turn insights into organisational learning.

They are, as Andrew puts it, “fluent with digital engagement, most connected to diverse communities, and most hungry to prove themselves.” And yet, too often, this cohort is left waiting for a seat at the table.

Beyond Professionalisation — Towards Empowerment

The professionalisation of engagement has been a game changer, setting shared standards and a stronger sense of purpose. But structure alone isn’t enough. Maturity is about more than frameworks — it’s about people.

Our upcoming Thought Leadership Paper, Elevating Engagement Maturity: Strategies and Practical Tips for Organisations, explores the five pillars of organisational capacity — policy, people, practice, culture, and performance. The “missing middle” sits at the intersection of all five. They bring culture to life through practice, challenge assumptions through lived experience, and keep engagement values alive through their daily work.

Launching at the Annual Conference (27–29 October), the paper offers practical strategies for organisations to build sustainable capability and leadership at every level — including the vital middle layer that holds engagement together.

When organisations invest in these practitioners — through mentoring, secondments, exposure to strategic projects, and leadership pathways — the impact ripples far beyond individual careers. It shapes a profession that is innovative, confident, and sustainable.

Creating Conditions for Growth: Embed Engagement Everywhere

Andrew calls on employers to mentor, involve, exchange, celebrate, and protect.

We’d add one more: embed.

Embed engagement as a recognised, valued function across every tier of government, sector, and organisation — not just as a communications add-on, but as a core capability for good governance and better decisions.

This aligns directly with our advocacy work, including the Engagement Institute’s appearance before the Victorian Legislative Council Inquiry into Community Consultation Practices. We continue to call for engagement professionals to be embedded as technical experts on advisory groups, ensuring that community perspectives directly inform decision-making.

It’s a tangible way to elevate engagement to the strategic level — one of our five policy calls to action — and to ensure that skilled practitioners, including early and mid-career professionals, have meaningful influence within governance structures.

Embedding engagement also means embedding recognition. From mentoring programs to the Core Values Awards, Engagement Institute celebrates practitioners who bring authenticity, innovation, and inclusion to their work — especially those in the “missing middle” who are quietly shaping the future of the field.

The Call to Action

The next decade of engagement will be defined by how we support the middle. They’re not “emerging” anymore — they’re leading, shaping, and influencing every day.

As the Engagement Institute continues to strengthen professional standards and advocate for engagement as business-as-usual, we’re equally focused on strengthening the pathways that keep talent in the profession.

Because when the missing middle feels seen, supported, and empowered, engagement doesn’t just become a career — it becomes a movement.