A TAFE NSW brewing student has been awarded a scholarship to gain valuable work experience from industry leading brewery Young Henrys, to further enhance her career and build valuable industry connections.

The annual Young Henrys Brewing Scholarship is awarded by the brewery to one female, female-identifying, or non-binary student studying TAFE NSW’s Certificate III in Food Processing (Brewing) course. The scholarship is a partnership between TAFE NSW, Young Henrys, Crafty Pint, and Blundstone.

The scholarship is valued at $10,000 and includes quarterly mentoring from Young Henrys’ brewery, distillery, and laboratory experts.

Hannah Fifield, from Coffs Harbour, has been named as the 2024 recipient of the scholarship.

“I’m so stoked and thankful to be awarded the Young Henrys Brewing Scholarship and be mentored by such an innovative and cutting-edge brewery. Not only because they brew awesome beers but because they care about giving us ladies opportunities like this amazing scholarship and so much more,” Ms Fifield said.

“I’ve always had a deep passion for beer and wanted to expand my understand of the brewing process, so I can get a job as a brewer. TAFE NSW has been an integral part in helping me develop the skills I need to get the job I want in the future.

“To be able to build on what I’ve learnt at TAFE NSW through this scholarship, by working with the team at Young Henrys, will help me develop my career in this industry.”

Carla Daunton, brewer and head distiller at Young Henrys, said the scholarship aims to create more opportunities in the brewing industry for women.

“Young Henrys started this scholarship to reach those in the community who may not have considered a role in brewing before,” she said.

“We are genuinely passionate about the further diversification of the industry and are excited to be able to provide this opportunity.”

TAFE NSW Head Teacher of Laboratory and Life Sciences, Jeanette Ramos, said TAFE NSW was helping meet industry demand for more brewers.

“We know the food and beverage industry is forecast to grow by almost 18% by 2026, and TAFE NSW is creating a pipeline of workers through our Certificate III in Food Processing (Brewing) course to meet that demand for workers,” Ms Ramos said.

“Brewing has been a male-dominated industry, and this scholarship will play a key role in helping our female students further develop their practical skills to ensure they’re job-ready by the time they graduate from TAFE NSW.”

“We’re proud to have built such strong connections with industry partners like Young Henrys I congratulate Hannah on winning this scholarship and look forward to seeing where this opportunity takes her.”