Funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ Jobs Fund, Soft Landing is a social enterprise that takes discarded mattresses destined for landfill and recycles them - tackling a significant environmental problem while providing training and employment opportunities to long-term unemployed people in NSW’s Illawarra.
At the graduation event, staff and guests acknowledged and praised the outstanding achievements of each of the trainees, who in the space of 12 months have achieved Soft Landing’s three-year goal of processing more than 20,000 mattresses.
“In our first 12 months of operation, Soft Landing has been extremely successful. We’ve won new business and experienced exciting growth - and it wouldn’t have been possible without the effort and dedication of our trainees,” said Bill Dibley, Southern NSW/ACT CS Operation Manager.
During the celebration, Mr Dibley announced Mission Australia’s Trainee of the Year award, which deservedly went to trainee Graeme Lamb (both pictured).
Graeme was honored last week at the NSW Training Awards dinner, being short-listed in the category of Waste Management and winning the category of Certificate II in asset maintenance.
His achievements are particularly outstanding given that only three years ago he was socially isolated and drinking heavily.
During his traineeship and after 13 years of not holding a driver’s licence, Graeme has not only obtained his licence, but also gained his truck licence as well as occupational health and safety, forklift, Certificate II in asset maintenance, first aid and fire safety qualifications.
Mr Dibley said Graeme is a truly inspirational person who captures everything that Mission Australia is about – transforming lives.
“Since completing the program he has been offered a permanent position in the program and will stay on to complete his Certificate III and be a mentor to other participants in the program,” said Mr Dibley.
During the NSW training awards dinner, Graeme said it was his third awards night he had been invited to since being in the program.
Mission Australia’s Soft Landing Mattress Recycling program works in conjunction with our Big Heart retail enterprise, which diverts more than 100,000 tonnes of clothing from landfill through seven Big Heart op shops in the Illawarra and south-western Sydney.
Last week Mission Australia’s Soft Landing program received more good news as the Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care, Kate Ellis and Federal Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird, announced funding of $600,000 from the Innovation Fund program for a new Feather Weight project.
This project will train and employ up to 11 job seekers with disabilities in recycling services, giving them the support they need to achieve accredited training in Certificate II in waste management.
You can read more about Graeme’s incredible journey, and view a video about Mission Australia’s Soft Landing Mattress Recycling program, here.
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