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Impact training changes Andrew's life for the better

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Last updated: 16/01/2020

IT had been another back-breaking day and Andrew Lloyd was driving home along Elliott Heads Road when he decided he'd had enough.

The experienced plasterer and tiler had just spent eight hours working on a home.

And while the customer was happy with what he’d done, he wasn’t.

His body was sore, and he was mentally down as he faced living from pay to pay to make ends meet.

Andrew decided to go to IMPACT Community Services the next day.

Within hours he was registered on the Certificate III in Individual Support – Disability (CHC33015) course and he hasn’t looked back since.

With a fresh spring in his step, Andrew is midway through an 18-week course that he is confident will put him on a new career pathway.

“The next day after driving home I popped into the front office at IMPACT and shortly after I was registered on this course,” said

Andrew, who was able to utilise government funding that meant he was able to study the course at no cost to himself.

“It was such a smooth process.

“I went home that day unpacked the trailer in the arvo and put all my tools in the shed.

“My wife was really good. She knew I wasn’t happy and living pay to pay you can’t budget for anything.”

He said he had to confront “his demons” early, but he’d come out the other side better for the experience.

“In the construction industry there’s a false façade that you have to be a tough guy,” Andrew said.

“But here I’ve had to come into a people-based line of employment, so I’ve had to change.

“All of my years in trades work I would rarely show my softer side to anyone other than my wife and kids.

“But now I think about people, I think about their safety and their feelings.

“I’m changing for the good.”

He said his life experiences prepared him well for life in a field with plenty of employment opportunities.

Andrew wants to spend some time working in the disability support field and understanding its demands before one day running his own business in the sector.

He loves the prospect of helping people in need and identified those with post-traumatic stress disorders, such as ex-military, as a group he felt particularly compelled to help.

“It’s a challenging industry, but very rewarding,” Andrew said.

IMPACT is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO code 0115) and offers a suite of accredited qualifications, such as the Certificate III Individual Support – Disability (CHC33015), which are recognised nationally.

This training is proudly funded by the Queensland Government through its Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

For more about the training IMPACT offers free call 1800 179 233, or go to www.impact.org.au

Please note: This website may contain references to, or feature images, videos, and voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have passed away.

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