One local business is using their platform to help upskill local residents with basic computer training to assist them with getting into the workforce and for most, into a home.
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Dane Collison and Tom Ireland own Tech Exe Dubbo, a retail store that sells and repairs computers and other devices.
Mr Collison explained that generally customers would leave their previous computer with them to dispose of.
"Some of our business clients have been leaving us with multiple units, instead of stripping the units for parts we decided we can use these units and add some low cost parts to these computers to make them like new," he said.
"Living in remote communities, we understand how hard it can be for our youth to access educational sources without the proper funding.
"We know that supplying a barely liveable wage with Centrelink isn't actually fixing the problem of unemployment."
That was when the owners decided they needed to act.
They are currently donating laptops to Uniting Doorways, a program designed to help homeless youth into accommodation and employment or educational pathways.
"Both myself and one of our employees have been in similar situations in our youth and know the struggles being that age, not being able to get a job without skills or experience, not being able to get skills or experience without a job," Mr Collison said.
"We're hoping that by providing the resources needed, we can help up-skill these youth and get them into employment, whether it be a course or even just updating a resume.
We want to be able to try prevent the Centrelink cycle that many youth face.
- Tech Exe Dubbo owner, Dane Collison
Mr Collison said if you weren't working two jobs, you were probably "struggling in life".
"What positives are there in buying a home when you potentially spending the next 30 years eating noodles, and that's after you spend 10 years saving for a deposit," he said.
"With average rent at $400, plus bills, food, fuel, car, and taxes for an average person in an average job, it's easy to become depressed or suicidal."
Mr Collison said their business has always been focuses on giving back to the Dubbo community, especially in the homelessness and mental health sectors.
"We have been supporting Tradies In Sight, a mental health organisation for tradies and we were also providing free tech help and tech training Wednesday nights for anyone in the community to come and ask questions and learn new things in the developing technology world," he said.
"This free training is currently not running due to the colder months but will come back in action once the weather gets warmer."
Mr Collison said he would love if any residents would like to donate their old or unused devices, including desktops, laptops, phones, iPads and tablets.
"We wipe the device of all user data and if needed, upgrade parts, then we can pass it on to a charity to give it to someone in need," he said.
"As we receive laptops from clients, we will refurbish and distribute evenly across all the organisations that have messaged us in need."
Some of the locations the business will donate to are Uniting Doorways, Banardos, Leaderlife, Macquarie Home Stay and more.
"We would love if any other charity organisations could reach out and let us know of their story and how we can help, on top of the devices, we're also happy to donate some of our time, whether it be showing someone how to create a resume or helping the organisation prevent cyber security threats," he said.
If there is any residents or businesses of Dubbo with spare devices, please drop them off at 97 Bourke Street or give us a call on (02) 6885 1278 and they can arrange a pickup.
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