Specialist Wales-wide training provider, Itec, has opened its 12th base in Wales with a new dedicated training facility in Port Talbot to support unemployed 16-19-year-olds in the area.
The new centre, located at the YMCA in Port Talbot, will provide support learners from Sandfields, Aberavon, Goytre, Penycae, Cwmafan, Pontrhydyfens and the surrounding area who may otherwise be at risk of becoming one of the thousands of teenagers across Wales not in employment, education or training.
Learners at the Port Talbot centre will be able to gain new skills, earn qualifications, and explore employment opportunities in customer service, beauty, hairdressing and barbering, health and social care, motor vehicles, AAT, hospitality, business, and IT. The centre also offers one-on-one support to learners who may be struggling with their mental health through counselling and regular wellbeing workshops and activities.
Itec has provided life-changing support to young people for 40 years and aims to get thousands of teenagers employed through the Welsh Government’s £200m Job Growth Wales+ programme in the next five years.
The centre will be led by former international rugby referee and Itec area manager for Neath, Hugh Watkins, who joined Itec to help grow the organisation across Neath, Port Talbot, Swansea and West Wales.
Hugh said: “The opening of our new Port Talbot centre has given us the opportunity to better support young people with their career goals and personal wellbeing in the area. The new space has allowed us to accommodate more learners in the county, adding to our already established Neath centre.
“A young person might need help figuring out their next steps or have a specific career in mind, we work with them to build a tailored support plan around their goals. This might be helping them get into a placement, exploring local employment opportunities, or getting them to start thinking about career options.
“Our Wellness Wednesday sessions have been well received by the learners. We know with tailored support and regular wellbeing workshops that we can continue to place focus on their mental health and help young people reach their full potential.”
Jobs Growth Wales+ gives 16-19 year olds living in Wales the skills, qualifications and experience they need to begin their career, with individual support to get young people into higher learning, apprenticeships, or employment.
Julie Dyer, Head of Operations at Itec, said: “Our new Port Talbot centre gives us another opportunity to help young people in the area. It is the start of what can be a life changing development for young adults not in employment, education or training – creating real opportunities for their futures.
“We’ve been really impressed by the response already, with 9 learners in the centre after just two weeks of opening, and many young people signed up to our waiting list, to enroll after GCSE results day this year. There is a clear need for this offering in the area; it is an exciting time for Port Talbot.”
Itec employs 79 people on the JGW+ contract across 12 offices in Neath, Port Talbot, Bridgend, Barry, Cardiff, Newport, Cwmbran, Blackwood, Abertillery, Abergavenny, Aberdare, and Pontypridd.
