ITEC NEWS
ISSUE 1 SUMMER 2008
ITEC Expands As Training Numbers Grow ITEC – the Independent Training & Education Centre – is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a sustained period of expansion as demand for its services grows. For a quarter of a century ITEC has been providing high-quality, tailored courses to meet the needs of thousands of people who recognise that qualifications can be a passport to a better life. The company, which now covers the whole of Wales, is undergoing major developments, including the acquisition and refurbishment of new premises, the installation of new training equipment and a fresh corporate identity. Founded in 1982, ITEC has grown to become one of the top training providers in Wales, opening up new prospects for learners in collaboration with government departments, agencies, businesses and partner bodies. ITEC delivers work-based learning in essential and specific skills through multi-million pound Welsh Assembly Government contracts, assisting in the government’s achievement of its economic and social goals.
It also provides commercial courses for private businesses, improving the skill levels, customer service and productivity of their staff. 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. Referrals come through bodies such as Careers Wales and Job Centre Plus as well as directly from companies. Many trainees are in the 14 to 19 age group. It has recently opened a training centre at Porth to serve the Valleys and has invested £125,000 on training for its own staff this year to ensure they maintain leading edge knowledge and skills. ITEC is run by managing director
Congratulations...
...to Angela Cartwright, who has completed 21 years with ITEC. Angela is ITEC’s quality manager, with specific responsibility for ensuring that ITEC’s many training and education programmes meet or exceed the standards laid down and monitored by qualification awarding bodies.
Angela is pictured being presented with her long service award gold watch by ITEC directors Steve Doyle (left) Steve Brangwyn and Ceri Murphy (right), at the staff summer ball in Cardiff.
In training – Stephen Brangwyn (centre), Ceri Murphy and Steve Doyle of ITEC.
Stephen Brangwyn, with director of training Ceri Murphy and director of finance and HR Steve Doyle. Mr Brangwyn said “We are professionally and personally delighted with the numbers of students who go on from us to find jobs – or better jobs. “Our expansion points to two things – firstly, the ongoing and increasing requirement for training places and secondly, the recognised quality of our courses.” When other training providers have
run into difficulties, ITEC has been among the high-reputation organisations asked to step in and take on their students to ensure they finish their courses and gain reward for their efforts. Ceri Murphy said “We are committed to making the learner’s experience as valuable as possible. Workplaces are very dynamic these days and we constantly refine and expand the content of our courses to reflect the needs of individuals and employers.”
Welcome to ITEC News W
elcome to ITEC News, the first in a series of occasional newsletters keeping you abreast of activities at one of Wales’ largest training providers. This year ITEC is celebrating 25 years in the training and education field, during which time the organisation has witnessed many changes in the provision – and funding - of learning opportunities, reflecting changes in society generally. However one thing has remained consistent – the universal recognition that boosting the skills and qualifications of our people, particularly our younger generation entering – or hoping to enter – the workplace, is essential for a healthy
future for individuals and the country as a whole. It really brings it home when we learn that fewer than half those people with no qualifications have a job, while 83% of those with a level 2 qualification or above are in employment. ITEC is committed to achieving the highest levels of quality and we consistently review and benchmark our performance. We are delighted that this has resulted in “good to excellent” reports in a variety of Quality Measure inspections.
Steve Brangwyn Managing Director
ITEC NEWS ISSUE 1 SUMMER 2008
New Trainers for Valley Learners Hundreds of young people in the Rhondda Cynon Taff area are being given greater opportunities to learn new skills and improve their job prospects thanks to ITEC. ITEC has taken over two units on the Lwyncelyn Industrial Estate at Porth and has invested more than £70,000 to upgrade facilities there. The company opened the doors earlier this year to politicians, Welsh Assembly Government officials, local authority representatives, business partners and learners to highlight the opportunities available. More than 160 young learners have already attended the centre, where courses include basic skills training, construction, bricklaying, plastering, health & safety and
furniture manufacture. Among the early batch of learners to attend at Porth were 1416 year old pupils placed by Ty Gwyn Education Centre, Glyncoch and the Ynysybwl Partnership, with 20 learners from Ysgol Gyfun Cymer. The Open Day was attended by Deputy Minister for Regeneration Leighton Andrews, who said "I am delighted to be visiting ITEC in Porth. This year ITEC will help boost the employment prospects of more than 4,000 people, including those under Welsh Assembly Government programmes.” ITEC Managing Director Stephen Brangwyn said “We have used income from our commercial
ITEC ‘Most Valued’
activities to fund the developments at Porth and provide better training opportunities for people in the area. “But it would not have been possible without the input of the people working and studying here – their efforts have been great.” Mr Brangwyn thanked RCT council, the Assembly’s Department for Children, Education, Lifelong
Learning and Skills and two wellknown businesses, Leekes and Travis Perkins, for their support. Rhys Griffiths, aged 15 from Glyncoch, who learned construction skills, said “I found this a great course. It helps you decide what you want to do in life. You don’t know what these things are like until you try them.”
New Home for ITEC ITEC is relocating all its office administration activities to premises in western Cardiff which will become ITEC House.
ITEC has been honoured for its contribution to careers education at a special ceremony held to celebrate education-business links in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Careers Wales Cardiff and Vale held its Most Valued Partner Awards at the Hilton Hotel, Cardiff, to thank local schools, colleges, businesses and organisations for their involvement in careers education, guidance and work-related learning. Part of a national brand funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, Careers Wales Cardiff and Vale provides free, impartial careers information, advice and guidance for all ages. The company’s Education Business Partnership (EBP) plays a major role in brokering links between local employers, schools and colleges helping to raise student achievement and providing young people with opportunities to develop work-related skills. Chris Rees of ITEC, received the EBP Award for Training Young People from Niki Goodfellow, Recruitment Manager at British Gas. ITEC Training Director Ceri Murphy said “We are delighted with this further recognition of the quality of our service.”
The move this summer will enable the company to devote all three floors of its existing 14,000 square feet premises at the city centre end of Penarth Road to training, creating an academy-style facility. Both existing and new offices are being given a fresh new look in line with ITEC’s new corporate image and the company has invested £45,000 in the latest IT equipment for learners at the Trade Street centre. Steve Doyle, ITEC director of Finance & HR, said “We have been seeking the opportunity to make
such a move for some time. At the moment we have a complicated mix of staff and students using adjoining rooms. “By bringing together our admin activities under a different roof we can turn over the whole of the existing building to 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 teaching facility because they are close to rail and bus links and enables learners to walk into town.”
ISSUE 1 SUMMER 2008 ITEC NEWS
Recognising Achievement More than 100 employers, relatives and friends of learners who have acquired new skills through ITEC training programmes turned up to watch proudly as they were presented with their certificates. ITEC took over St Peter’s Hall in Cardiff to stage a special ceremony to recognise the achievements of groups of students who had succeeded in gaining valuable qualifications. The certificates were presented by Sam Warburton, aged 19, the captain of the Wales rugby team for the inaugural Junior (u-20) World Cup. Sam, a member of the Cardiff Blues Academy, is studying biomedical science at Cardiff University and chatted to guests about the importance of ongoing skills development.
ITEC managing director Steve Brangwyn told the audience that work opportunities for people in South Wales who acquire vocational skills are looking extremely promising. One factor alone - the introduction of minimum standards for all council housing in Wales - is likely to spark a jobs boom in the construction and maintenance sector. With call centres, retailers and the health, social and childcare areas all needing a regular supply of qualified people – or the
Outstanding achievement – Robert Jewels (left) of Centrica was presented with his award by youth rugby star Sam Warburton
A winning line-up - ITEC learners from across South Wales celebrate their success in gaining new skills
upskilling of existing employees – there has never been a better time to take advantage of training schemes. Mr Brangwyn said “Demand for people with practical skills is growing. It is estimated that £100 million needs to be spent on modernising council homes to meet the requirements of the Welsh Housing Quality Standards, for instance. “This will provide work for hundreds of extra tradespeople and in many other employment sectors, including office jobs and retailing, there is always room for people with appropriate skills.” Ceri Murphy, ITEC Training
Director, said the certificates represented months – and in some cases a year or more - of hard work by the individuals concerned and she praised the input of their instructors. She said “Over the years we at ITEC never fail to be thrilled at the individual achievements of the learners. Many of our clients have never achieved a qualification before they enter the Work -Based Learning programmes.” A special award for Outstanding Achievement went to Centrica employee Robert Jewels, a business administration student with ITEC, who succeeded despite a hearing impairment.
Training for the future... • At the time of writing, we are waiting to learn details of the new Skills That Work for Wales strategy, which will drive Welsh Assembly Government policy in the key areas or training and employment
• He says although Wales has lower unemployment than many EU countries, a relatively high rate of economic inactivity (people who aren’t in work or looking for a job) holds back the Welsh economy
• Skills Minister John Griffiths says that at the heart of the new strategy is a recognition that the skills system must be more responsive to the needs of communities, businesses and individuals, with skills and employment services working together more effectively
• The new strategy will promote more partnerships between employers and learning providers through a major new Sector Priorities Fund, while an expanded Workforce Development Programme will deliver integrated services tailored to
meet the needs of different employers and sectors • Skills that Work for Wales proposes a new concept called ‘Careers Ladders Wales’, a single package of information, advice and support that will help unemployed and economically inactive people back into work and continue to support them as they consolidate their position and progress in their jobs • Following a three-month consultation on the draft
strategy earlier this year, ITEC is now submitting responses to the Assembly's follow-up consultation process on Delivering Skills, which addresses the infrastructure. Closing date is 11 August.
ITEC NEWS ISSUE 1 SUMMER 2008
ITEC introduces pen pals... ITEC is revolutionising the way it records and processes information by equipping staff with a ‘magic pen’ that allows forms to be transmitted instantly via mobile devices. ITEC has awarded a contract to Destiny, an international leader in mobile data communications, to supply the pens which eliminate the need to photocopy, scan, fax, post, retype and manually file documents. The technology also offers greater speed and security in document handling, quality of service, productivity and job satisfaction. ITEC’s staff have to fill in 17 forms for every trainee. As well as streamlining administration, ITEC says the move will also demonstrate its responsibility towards the environment – the Welsh Assembly Government is encouraging its suppliers to become carbon neutral. The Destiny solution combines a
digital pen with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. Staff fill out forms using a pen with a tiny infra-red camera in the nib that can take a hundred pictures per second of pen strokes. Users write on special paper that is pre-digitised with a unique dot matrix pattern and an ability to recognise the person’s handwriting. The user then simply ticks a ‘send’ box and the information is transmitted via a mobile phone to Destiny’s secure servers, converted into a data file and transferred to ITEC’s main back office system. ITEC Finance Director Steve Doyle said “This system will enable us to reduce the time taken to process a document from one week
to about 60 seconds, with all the benefits that will bring.” Managing Director Stephen Brangwyn said “Providing training to large numbers of people takes a lot of administration. By streamlining the process, we aim to free up our assessors and trainers, especially those working in the field, to concentrate more on service delivery. “The potential is there with this technology to include everything from contracts and minutes of meetings to risk assessments and accident reports.” Edward Belgeonne, Destiny CEO and founder, added: “Digital pen and paper plays an increasingly important role in helping organisations of all kinds to become more efficient by simplifying work processes and reducing the time their staff spend on paperwork, whilst doing more
Pen pals – ITEC finance director Steve Doyle (right) with Steve Manley of Destiny
for the environment. We’re delighted that ITEC is embracing this technology.”
Anniversary celebration... ITEC ‘ACADEMY AWARDS’ More than 100 staff, partners and guests attended a 25th anniversary dinner in Cardiff put on by ITEC in recognition of the teamwork which has cemented the company’s position as one of the leading training providers in Wales. One of the highlights of the evening at St Peter’s Hall was the
ITEC’s Jennifer Phipps (left) receives the cheque for South Gwent Cancer Support Group from ITEC directors Steve Doyle (left) Steve Brangwyn and Ceri Murphy.
presentation of awards to staff covering areas such as customer service, productivity and teamworking. Learners at Cardiff and Porth were invited to vote for their favourite trainers. Collecting ‘Oscars’ were Teresa Morgan, Louise O’Donovan, Eloise Crout, Angela Bevan and Phil Williams, with the management award for the Best Quality Record going to Jamie Knight. The award for best customer service went to Mary Paull on
Reception, who won the same award last year. Angela Cartwright was presented with a gold watch long service award. ITEC Business Support Manager Jonathan Gray said “It was a really enjoyable evening and the staff awards were well received, particularly as more than 80% of staff voted in the awards opinion poll.” A raffle and dress-down days raised £550, which was matched by management, leading to the
Hello Oscar! Mary Paull with her customer service award.
presentation of a cheque for £1100 to South Gwent Cancer Support Group. The cheque was received by ITEC’s Jennifer Phipps, a member of the Group
Contacts: Learning at Work Day ITEC 45 Penarth Road Cardiff CF10 5DJ T: 029 2066 3800 F: 029 2066 3810 www.itectraining.com
Learning at Work Day, part of the nationwide Adult Learners Week, provided a change to the normal working day for ITEC staff. Around 50 ITEC staff in five groups attended a series of workshops aimed primarily at familiarising them with the range of
Produced by Warr Communications for ITEC. Printed by AST Cardiff.
activities outside their normal routine. Each group attended the Basic Skills training provided for students, they all had a go at the initial numeracy, literacy and diagnostic assessments, they were given a session on the importance and
establishment of KPIs – Key Performance Indicators – and tai chi! They were also introduced to the Pacific Institute, which teaches people within organisations how to manage change, set and achieve goals and lead more effectively.