We are thrilled to announce to announce that Gowrie NSW has been recognised with two prestigious awards from Xref Engage (formerly Voice Project): 'Best Workplace' Award and the 'Change Champion' Award for 2025. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the dedication, passion, and collaborative spirit of our entire Gowrie NSW family.
CEO Nicole Jones says ‘As a not-for-profit for-purpose organisation, it’s been wonderful to see people truly connect to our purpose, our long-standing history and know they have a role in driving the organisation forward”
“These awards highlight that we are not only a great place to work but also a supportive environment where educators and teachers can grow their careers and make meaningful contributions to the early childhood education and care community” Sam Cordoba, Head of People and Culture explains.
Receiving the 'Best Workplace' Award is a significant milestone for Gowrie NSW. This award acknowledges our unwavering commitment to creating a supportive and enriching environment for all our teachers, educators and teams. From fostering professional growth to ensuring a healthy work-life balance, and positive team culture, we strive every day to make Gowrie NSW a place where everyone feels empowered and motivated to excel.
“As an organisation, we have worked very hard to instil our values and demonstrate these through behaviours and actions". Nicole Jones says
“Our values are not just words on a page—the organisation has strived to create an environment that they are reflected in the way we work every day” says Sam.
“These values are truly embedded in our culture, shaping the way we support and collaborate. The awards are a wonderful achievement, but the true success lies in fostering a culture where our values are lived every day” says Sam.
"Change Champions’ are organisations that are successfully developing and improving their work practices and the work environment” says Dr Louise Parkes.
The 'Change Champion' Award highlights our proactive approach to innovation and adaptability in the ever-evolving early and middle education sectors. We embrace change as an opportunity to improve and enhance our services. Our leaders, and all teams are encouraged to think creatively, use innovation and implement new ideas… and lead initiatives that drive positive transformation within our community.
“Our leaders drive positive culture across the organisation through their leadership shadows and their everyday actions. It is so important that our leaders are positive role models, who live out our values”. Says Nicole
“We have supported our leaders to build their capacity over the last 12 months through a bespoke leadership program which focuses on them, their style approach and has armed them with skills to be effective in their leadership roles and I think this has made a significant difference in the impact on the ground” she continued.
"We have a focus on growing a culture of democracy, viewing our teachers and educators as experts of their craft, and value their contribution to the wider ECEC community" Nicole says.
A key pillar of the Gowrie NSW strategic plan is centred around its people and empowering their expertise in achieving the overall vision which focuses on children being active participants in their community and making a positive contribution in the world.
“We can only do this when people feel they are actively engaged, feel valued and feel that they belong. The EYLF is underpinned by 8 key principles that perfectly relate to how we support not only our little people but also our big people. Values of reciprocal respect, inclusion, diversity, & collaborative leadership” says Nicole.
Dr Louise Parks comments "The leaders at Gowrie NSW have been keen to measure and monitor the culture and value alignment at Gowrie NSW. An organisation's integrity or authenticity can be measured by how much they practice the values they preach. These awards reflect Gowrie NSW values of respect and care, not just for children and families but for staff as well."
L-R Michelle Steel, Nicole Jones, Dr Lousie Parkes, Sam Cordoba
At the heart of our success is a happy and cohesive community of teachers, educators, and support teams. We recognise that a joyful workplace fosters collaboration, creativity, and a shared sense of purpose. Every member of Gowrie NSW plays a vital role in nurturing an environment where everyone feels heard, valued, and respected.
“We have worked very hard to understand what type of employee offerings will make a difference, what will make our people feel valued and that they belong. A big part of that is remuneration, but there is so much more that people want in their workplaces. This is why we enhanced our resources for staff, professional learning and benefits, opportunities for participation external to the organisation such as research and conferences.” Nicole Jones comments
“I do think growing a culture of democracy was essential to the overall success - it allowed us to give people what they valued and not what we thought they wanted” Sam says.
We proudly carry forward the inspiring legacy of Lady Zara, whose vision and dedication laid the foundation for Gowrie NSW’s success. Her passion for early childhood education and unwavering commitment to children, and to excellence continue to inspire us every day. We are confident Lady Zara would be proud of the remarkable achievements we have accomplished together, building on her enduring legacy.
“At the end of the day, the awards translate to better outcomes for children. For children to thrive, they need to be surrounded by happy healthy valued people, who care where they are and proud of the work they do. This has a positive impact on children learning trajectories and well being’" Nicole finished.
Nicole shares that while she is absolutely thrilled at what Gowrie NSW has been able to achieve, there is more to do. “I am very committed to make sure we can continue to build on this, take the constructive feedback from our people on board and continue to have a positive impact on the lives of the very youngest of citizens”.