Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards 2022

Australia’s top veteran and partner employers, employees and entrepreneurs were celebrated last night at the 2022 Prime Minister’s National Veterans’ Employment Awards in Canberra.

CAPTION: Cubic Australia employees, including ADF veterans, won Employer of the Year – Large 2022. Official photo.

These awards showcase the talent on offer in the veteran community – as employees and entrepreneurs – and also recognise the organisations that actively recruit, employ and support veterans and families.

The awards highlight the importance the government places upon supporting veterans to ensure a successful transition out of the military and into civilian life.

Key to this is veterans being able to find a meaningful job soon after they leave service.

The Federal Budget allocated $24 million to the Veteran Employment Program, to support defence personnel in their transition to civilian life and employment, while ensuring the skills and experience veterans and their families bring to the workforce is acknowledged by the community.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated all those recognised in the National Veterans’ Employment Awards for their commitment to the Defence and veteran community.

“Australians owe a debt of gratitude to those who have served the nation, and to their families who supported them throughout their service,” Mr Albanese said.

“Initiatives such as the Veteran Employment Program and the National Veterans’ Employment Awards go a long way towards helping employers and the Australian community understand the benefits of employing veterans and their families.

“The careers of Defence family members are often impacted in support of their serving partners, particularly when moving regularly.

“I am pleased to see the valuable contribution of defence families recognised as part of this year’s awards.”

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh said the Veteran Employment Program would build on existing initiatives to raise awareness, highlight the benefits of employing veterans and veteran families, provide support to businesses to attract, recruit and retain veterans, and provide support to translate veterans’ military skills and experience for the civilian workplace.

“There is a need to address misconceptions around veteran employment, educate employers and provide practical support to address barriers to veteran and veteran family employment,” Mr Keogh said.

“The program will support veterans to recognise and communicate the value of their skills gained in service, skills like leadership, teamwork, agility, discipline and an ability to work under pressure – all critical skills in the modern economy, and all in demand by employers.”

 

The winners:

Category	Name/Representative	Company
Veteran Employee of the Year	Nick Elston	GSA Management Consulting
Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year	Garth Chester	Valenhold
Partner Employee of the Year	Katie Vidal	She Maps
Partner Entrepreneur of the Year	Kelly Willmott	Green Fox Training Studio
Employer of the Year – Large		Cubic Defence Australia
Employer of the Year – Medium		Bluerydge
Employer of the Year – Small		Viden
Excellence in Supporting Veteran and/or Partner Employment		Vertical Scope Group
Outstanding Employer of the Year		Bluerydge
Outstanding Contribution to Veteran and/or Partner Employment	Amanda McCue	Career Swag

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