The sound of machinery echoes throughout a large warehouse, sparks of steel glisten, and then disappears to the ground.
Here in the heart of Bendigo’s manufacturing industry, on the outskirts of the CBD, lies a small, yet busy team of metal fabricators, working to incredibly tight production deadlines – day in and day out.
Leading this crew is Garry, who for over seven years has had a successful working relationship with our Bendigo Assistant Manager, David.
During this time, David has placed dozens of jobseekers into work with Garry, and as a result, those jobseekers have either gotten back on their feet or started a career in the welding industry.
One of those former jobseekers is Matt.
Matt hadn’t worked for around three/four years and had practically no electricity in his house. At the time, Matt was actively looking for work with another job provider, but was making little progress, which is why he was referred to us.
Matt didn’t have a phone or any work clothes, but what he did have, was some previous skills as a welder.
Keeping this in mind, the goal was to get Matt into some short-term work that would allow him to get part of his old life back.
Thanks to the working relationship between David and Garry, getting Matt into work was a quick process as Garry needed some extra hands, and Matt needed work.
And although the process was quick, there were still a few steps David had to take to get Matt on his way to employment.
“I sort of pushed him at the start, you know; I was putting letters in his mailbox each day”, said David.
Although Matt wanted work, the motivation wasn’t quite their yet. With the help of David, a new haircut and some wellness packs, Matt’s faith in finding work slowly returned and within a couple of weeks, Matt started his new job as a welder.
“The guys are good to work with. As far as skills go, a lot of the skills I already had,” stated Matt.
Speaking to Matt’s boss Garry, it’s clear that Matt has made a real commitment to the job and that there is potential for Matt to grow with the company.
“Matt, in the short time he’s been here, has shown that he’s punctual, looking to expand his skills and move within the company. So, I see Matt being here for the duration,” explained Gary.
It’s been a few months since Matt started working with Garry, and as a result of his new job, Matt recognises that there has been a positive shift in his mental health.
“[Before finding work] I felt bored and lazy and I didn’t want to move. I’m feeling a lot better now; more motivated,” explained Matt.
David has also noticed this change in Matt’s personality, which he too, credits to finding work.
“[Matt] walked into the office yesterday, big smile on his face. At the start, you probably couldn’t get two words out of him.
“The fact that Matt’s now in a better spot financially, I think it’s put him in a better spot mentally,” explained David.
From not working for a long period of time, to suddenly working 30+ hours a week, Matt is coping well with the change and is enjoying being in a routine.
For now, Matt doesn’t have anything urgent that he is working towards, but he's confident that continuing to work with Garry will open his opportunities for future goals.
“At the moment, I haven’t got anything in thought, but I’ll find something eventually. One step at a time,” explained Matt.
In as little as two weeks, through the jobactive program and David's employer connections, we were able to place Matt into work and get him job-ready. Matt tells us that his experience with us has been great and that the people within our Bendigo office have been extremely welcoming.
“[PeoplePlus] has been good, they’ve been friendly. Good characters in there and I enjoy going in there and making them laugh.”
The team at PeoplePlus would like to congratulate Matt on his recent achievements and we wish him continued success.
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