The Newport centre, which also helps young people on Skillbuild programmes, was opened by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Minister for Children, Education & Lifelong Learning Leighton Andrews.

In a move which will create eight new jobs, ITEC Training has closed its former offices in High Street, Newport and transferred 13 staff to the Business Exchange building, where a 25-seater public coffee lounge, run by learners, is being opened on the ground floor.

The expansion comes after ITEC was chosen to deliver the UK government’s Flexible New Deal scheme for job-seekers in south-east Wales for the next five years on behalf of main contractor Serco Welfare to Work.

Under FND, people who have been out of work for 12 months or longer are referred by JobCentre Plus to a one-year mandatory programme of flexible, supported job preparation and job search.

ITEC’s support covers everything from assessment and CV-writing to personal presentation, interview techniques and top-up vocational skills – and help with tracking down suitable vacancies. Fifteen jobseekers have just been taken on by the new Poundland store in the centre of Newport.
Leighton Andrews said “It is essential that young people in Wales have access to the skills and the experience they need for a successful future. The new ITEC centre supports the Welsh Assembly Government’s strategic vision for making this happen.
“We want every young person to have the opportunity to embrace their chosen learning pathway. I am pleased that we are able to work with providers such as ITEC to help young people gain the confidence they need to progress their careers successfully.”
ITEC has also opened FND bases in Cwmbran shopping centre and at Monmouthshire County Council’s Communities First premises in Hillcrest Road, Abergavenny.

The Skillz café is designed so that customer service, retailing and hospitality students on Skillbuild courses can master disciplines such as planning, stock selection and ordering, marketing, waiting at table and financial control, under the watchful eye of an experienced manager.

The coffee shop plans have been drawn up by ITEC’s head of operations, Richard Wesley, whose career has included senior management positions with some of the country’s leading catering chains, such as Pret a Manger, Henry’s Bars and TGI Friday’s.

ITEC director of training Ceri Murphy, said “This is all part of our commitment to provide the most comprehensive, effective and user-friendly service for people who want to acquire skills, find employment or advance their careers.

“Thanks to government funding and an ongoing commitment to education, the opportunities for job-seekers of all ages to gain free training have never been better. We would urge everyone to explore the wide-ranging possibilities for self-advancement – it may well alter people’s lives.”

Her earlier career was spent in hotel industry management, including three years as operations manager at the Thistle Hotel in Cardiff and periods with St.David’s Hotel and Spa in Cardiff Bay and with Queens Moat Houses.  

Accountant Steven Davies, who joins ITEC as group financial controller, was latterly a member of the management team at the £20m turnover retail division of Vestey Foods (UK) Ltd, which supplies poultry to the UK’s leading supermarkets.

Previously he was with the audit and accountancy team at accountants
Pannell Kerr Forster, responsible for a portfolio of manufacturing, retailing, engineering, hotel, leisure and housing association clients. Both managers will report to ITEC finance and HR director Steve Doyle.

The appointments strengthen ITEC’s management structure following its recent takeover of two other South Wales learning providers, Dash Training and Valleys Training. It is part of the organisation’s strategy to bring its award-winning services to more locations across the region.

Dash, headquartered in Tonypandy, employs 60 staff and has a presence in 16 Valleys towns. Founded in 1990 by Diane Prosser, it has been latterly run by Mrs Prosser, her daughter Jo and son Simon.

Last year Dash helped 1,250 unemployed people gain the skills to secure a job, through Welsh Assembly Government and Department of Work and Pensions training programmes. It works closely with organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, local authorities, NHS Trusts, and the Princes Trust. The company is a former UK finalist in the National Training Awards.

Valleys Training, in Brecon Road, is construction industry-orientated. It offers training programmes in the Construction Skills Certification Scheme with the ability to equip all levels of construction workers and managers with the latest site safety passport.

Valley’s clients have ranged from those wishing to acquire or improve skills, people referred via Job Match and other initiatives aimed at the economically inactive and those on ReAct schemes – individuals who have recently lost their jobs as a result of the economic downturn.

 
Dash and Valleys will gradually be absorbed into the fast-growing ITEC group, which has recently been awarded the Quality Mark by Basic Skills Cymru for the standards of service at both its Cardiff and Porth training centres.

As part of its ongoing development programme, ITEC has appointed accountant Steven Davies, former member of the retail division management team at £20m turnover Vestey Foods (UK) Ltd, as group financial controller.

Esther Barnes, a senior consultant with Hays Recruitment for the past four years and a former operations manager at the Thistle Hotel in Cardiff, has joined ITEC as HR manager, both reporting to finance and HR director Steve Doyle.

Steve Doyle said “Over the years, ITEC has developed a very successful formula for delivering effective training and education to people of all ages, which we are pleased to say, has been awarded top marks consistently in multiple audits by official monitoring and inspection bodies.

“Dash and Valleys, two well-regarded trainers, chose to join ITEC, giving us the opportunity to provide a high quality, coordinated service which we believe will fit better with future training provision requirements in both the public and private sector.”

ITEC training includes modern apprenticeship, NVQ and VRQ courses in health & social care, construction, child care, contact centre activities, customer service, business administration, retail, dental nursing, management, manufacturing and health & safety for all age groups. More than 400 courses, many bilingual, are provided online

They are linked up to Fones4Schools, the UK’s biggest mobile phone recycling scheme, which re-uses phones or cannibalises them for parts for other products. The scheme has so far paid out nearly £2.3 million.

Cardiff-based ITEC Training Solutions have just handed over 50 company phones which became surplus when the organisation updated its communications systems.

ITEC business support manager Jonathan Gray said “It’s a good way to avoid waste, encourage the children and boost school funds. We are going for the Green Dragon environmental standard – our shredded waste paper is currently providing bedding for dogs at the local RSPCA centre!”

Karen Williams, deputy head at Moorland, said “This has been a very good scheme. The children get individual prizes and the money raised has gone into the school fund to pay for such things as trips, dance sessions and outdoor play area resources.”

Learners at the ITEC Academy in Penarth Road were lucky that their tutor, Clare Hurley, is also a talented artist who is regularly commissioned to create murals and paintings.

Within a week Clare had transformed the students’ recreation room with a Cardiff cityscape mural showing the Millennium Stadium, BT tower and other landmarks.

It also gave Clare, a key skills and preparation for employment tutor, the chance to show students how to plan images and use colours and perspectives effectively – and the result has won unanimous approval.

ITEC, which also has centres in Porth and Merthyr, provides a wide range of courses in health & social care, construction, child care, contact centre activities, customer service, business administration, retail, dental nursing, management, manufacturing and health & safety for all age groups.

Clare, an art graduate, has exhibited paintings at galleries across South Wales. Her other works include a nursery character mural at New Inn Primary School, Pontypool and a stage background for a Croesyceiliog church.

She said “The learners felt their 15ft x 12ft recreation room was ‘boring’ so we took the opportunity to do something different.

“ITEC has an enrichment programme designed to add value to courses and this gave me the chance to introduce learners to some aspects of art. They all seem to love it.”

Better trained employees, in better jobs and better rewarded was a key to future prosperity for individuals and communities, said Wales Deputy Minister for Skills, John Griffiths.

He was speaking at the presentation of certificates to newly-qualified learners in a special ceremony at ITEC Training Solutions in Penarth Road, Cardiff.

ITEC training includes modern apprenticeship, NVQ and VRQ courses in health & social care, construction, child care, contact centre activities, customer service, business administration, retail, dental nursing, management, manufacturing and health & safety for all age groups. More than 400 courses, many bilingual, are provided online.

The organisation, which has just been awarded the coveted Quality Mark by Basic Skills Cymru covering its Cardiff and Porth training centres, also provides courses for private businesses, helping to improve skill levels, customer service and productivity.

ITEC Learner of the Year award went to 17-year-old Sheridan Smith of Plymouthwood Crescent, Ely, Cardiff, currently on work placement with Halfords in Penarth Road. “It’s a great feeling” he said.

John Griffiths said “ “ITEC and other providers are at the heart of what we are trying to do under the Skills That Work for Wales programme and it is good to recognise the achievement of learners and staff and the backing of parents.”

ITEC managing director Steve Brangwyn said that since the start of the new training year in August, 1,700 ITEC learners had already secured 2,300 qualifications and nearly 100 employers were providing placement opportunities.

“There has never been a better time to take advantage of training services. It can be the passport to a better life for many” he said.

ITEC Training Solutions Ltd, which runs a wide range of courses for business employees and young learners, has acquired the former Trustguard offices on Penarth Road, Cardiff.

The organisation, which has been awarded a further major training contract with the Welsh Assembly Government, has also appointed two new business managers to handle increased demand for its services from commercial organisations.

Refurbished and renamed ITEC House, the two-storey, 6,600 square feet offices near Cogan Pill accommodates 30 staff and all the organisation’s administration activities. It will also serve as an online testing centre for a number of public and professional bodies.

Following the move, all three floors of its existing premises at Trade Street, in the city centre, have been converted into the ITEC Training Academy. More than 4,000 learners are expected to pass through its doors this year.

Steve Doyle, ITEC director of finance & HR, said “We have been seeking the opportunity to make such a move for some time. Previously, we had a complicated mix of staff and students using adjoining rooms.

“By bringing together our admin activities under a different roof we can free up the whole of the existing building for training and examinations etc, which is a better arrangement for all concerned.”

He added “It is important that our premises in the city centre remain our main teaching facility because they are close to rail and bus links and learners can walk to and from town.”

Andrew Whitcombe, former regional Director for Wales for JHP Training Ltd, has been brought in to head up business development.  Neil Harris, former head of automotive engineering at Coleg Gwent, has been appointed to lead ITEC’s business improvement section.  

ITEC, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, opened a new training centre in Porth last year. Centrica, British Transport Police, Medico Nursing & Homecare, Acorn Nurseries and Gwent Visual Impairment are among the large and small organisations providing development opportunities for their staff through ITEC.

ITEC managing director Stephen Brangwyn, said “We are delighted that the Welsh Assembly Government has recognised our ongoing ability to deliver training and education to the standards required with the award of a new contract for the coming year.

“Upskilling is vital for individuals and for the economy generally – especially in current challenging conditions. By reorganising our offices and training facilities and developing our own staff, we are investing for the future.”

ITEC runs modern apprenticeship, NVQ and VRQ courses in health & social care, construction, child care, contact centre activities, customer service, business administration, retail and health & safety for all age groups. More than 400 courses, many bilingual, are provided online.