COMPASS Peterborough Ltd ““ the organisation heavily involved in recycling the city’s old white goods ““ has been highly commended for its creativity, innovation and dedication.
The accolade was made by the organisers of the UK’s largest festival of learning, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), as part of Adult Learners’ Week (May 20 to 26).
Residents of Peterborough generate about 100,000 old white goods ““ fridges, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, computers and monitors ““ for disposal each year, via local authority collection points.
Compass Peterborough Ltd has formed an innovative community partnership with the city council and developed a sustainable system of education and training based on recycling and re-use.
The project gives learners opportunities to gain experience in the collection of white goods, reprocessing activity and end product recycling. It also offers confidence-building activity and employment-related qualifications ,ranging from Health & Safety to electrical appliance repair.
Stella Kier, of Compass, explained: “Our learner base is always very varied. They all have individual and sometimes complex need. For some, the prospect of simply using public transport and going somewhere new would, in the past, have hindered them from having new and varied experiences.”
Rachel Thomson, senior campaigns officer at NIACE, said:
“Returning to learning can be daunting for many adults ““ particularly for those whose memories of school make them think their days of education are behind them.
“But up and down the country, organisations are providing more and different opportunities for adults to learn ““ wherever and whoever they are.
“These inspirational schemes ignite a spark of enthusiasm that can lead to whole new lives for learners and benefit whole communities.”
From Peterborough Today