Three wins at the Hunter Manufacturing Awards have given the ManufactHER team plenty to celebrate, with women and businesses from its first cohort recognised for their achievements in leadership, diversity and manufacturing.
Protective Fencing won the Diversity in Manufacturing Award, Protective Fencing’s Director Samantha Swain received Excellence in Manufacturing Leadership, and Amanda Bloom from VanHomes was named Rising Star.
Both Samantha and Amanda completed the EmpowerHER Leadership Essentials program through ManufactHER, while Protective Fencing and VanHomes have participated in the broader program.
For CCGT CEO Alison Cook, seeing their achievements recognised by the wider manufacturing industry was a particularly proud moment.
“When you are in the middle of delivering a project, you are often focused on the next workshop, the next business and the next milestone,” Alison said. “It was one of those nights where you could actually stop and see some of the impact the project is having on people and businesses across our region.”
Growing confidence and finding your voice
For Amanda, one of the biggest things she’s taken away from ManufactHER has been the confidence to back herself and recognise her potential as a leader.
“The EmpowerHER program has changed the way I see myself as a leader,” Amanda shared at the program’s graduation. “The program’s definitely helped a lot with my confidence. We did a big stint on mindset change that really sparked something with me.”
Amanda has also been involved in work at VanHomes to bring factory and office teams closer together, and has spoken about seeing that divide reduce over the past 12 months.
For Samantha, leadership development has gone hand in hand with making sure people across the business have opportunities to contribute. “Instead of a top down leadership approach, we’re actually giving a voice and championing the voice of all the people in our workshop floor,” Samantha shared at the final ManufactHER Champions meeting.
She also spoke about the value of connecting with other women through EmpowerHER. “The camaraderie and connection of learning alongside other women, building that community of connection has been really important.”
Recognising progress across local workplaces
Protective Fencing’s Diversity in Manufacturing Award recognises the business’s commitment to building a more inclusive workplace.
Participating ManufactHER businesses have been exploring practical ways to attract and retain more women and support their career development.
Samantha has spoken about seeing a significant increase in female participation at her workplace, something the team is particularly proud of.
These awards recognise the talent, hard work and commitment of the individuals and businesses who earned them. Through ManufactHER, CCGT and its project partners have been able to support their development, build on existing strengths and encourage new ideas, leadership and positive workplace change.
Frank Sammut, Hunter Manufacturing Awards Public Officer and Executive Director of Central Coast Industry Connect, reflected on the achievements:
“What I love about these awards is that they shine a light on businesses and people who are getting on with the job, creating opportunities, solving problems and building things that matter.”
As ManufactHER moves towards Cohort 2, these achievements offer local examples of what supporting women and investing in workplace culture can look like in practice.
CCGT congratulates Protective Fencing, Samantha Swain and Amanda Bloom on their awards and acknowledges Central Coast Industry Connect (CCIC), our key project partner, and Lysander, who delivered EmpowerHER Leadership Essentials.
ManufactHER is a CCGT project delivered in partnership with Central Coast Industry Connect and Coast & Country Primary Care. Selected under the Building Women’s Careers Program, ManufactHER supports greater participation, career development and leadership opportunities for women in manufacturing on the Central Coast.
The Building Women’s Careers (BWC) Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
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