Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards winners announced
Bluerydge, a Canberra-based cyber security firm, was announced as the 2022 Outstanding Employer of the Year, and Ms Amanda McCue was recognised for her Outstanding Contribution to Veteran/ Partner Employment by Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh at the Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards ceremony on 24 November.
The Awards allow for the achievements of organisations that create employment opportunities and supportive workplaces for veterans and partners to be recognised, and highlight the success of individual veterans and Australian Defence Force (ADF) partners as employees and entrepreneurs. All this year’s Prime Minister's National Veterans' Employment Award winners have clearly demonstrated that employing veterans and ADF partners is good for business.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated all finalists and winners and highlighted how important veterans and partners are to business, and how the skills and attributes individuals develop while serving in or supporting the ADF stay with them as they enter the civilian workforce.
Bluerydge, winner of Employer of the Year – Medium category and the overall Outstanding Employer of the Year category, has found early engagement with prospective staff allows the company to better support new employees as they enter the civilian workforce. Bluerydge has also invested in its staff, by supporting many of them to complete further study.
This year, the contributions of ADF partners to the workforce were recognised for the first time, through the Awards’ inaugural Partner Employee and Partner Entrepreneur of the Year categories. Partner Employee of the Year winner Katie Vidal is a trained primary school teacher who is a passionate educator of students and teachers about STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) literacy. The skills Katie has developed as a Defence partner, including her adaptability and flexibility, have been instrumental to her workplace success.
Likewise, because serving ADF members develop strong problem-solving abilities, it is no surprise that many veterans start their own business after transition, often identifying gaps in the market and creating their own solutions. This was the case for Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year winner, Garth Chester, who combined his ADF experiences and knowledge with post-graduate qualifications to start his own supply-chain solutions company, Valenhold, which operates in the mining industry.
Minister Keogh said, ‘As a nation we value the contributions made by veterans and their ongoing commitment to service, and we recognise the valuable skills they bring to the civilian workforce’.
For the full list of winners, see the PMNVEA website.
Top: Bluerydge – Outstanding Employer of the Year. From left: Tom Kazan, Jim Boekel (CEO), Minister for Veterans' Affairs Matt Keogh, Maria Oguis, Adam Haskard; Below: Amanda McCue – Outstanding Contribution to Veteran and/or Partner Employment