Glenwood Church

Stronger Together:

Itec and Glenwood Church – a Partnership Supporting Potential

Itec’s collaboration with Glenwood Church has kept growing in strength since March 2023 for Jobs Growth Wales Plus (JGW+) learners. Glenwood Church Centre are a community centred placement, with all the learners that are and have attended this placement living in the Llanedeyrn area of Cardiff. The placement has been pivotal for seven learners on the hugely impactful programme.

When a learner expresses their interest in Glenwood, an Itec Employability Officer takes them for an informal chat where they are given a tour of the premises.

Glenwood Church is a brilliant placement for learners with a large community hall, facilitating community sport and congregation meetings on a Sunday. Glenwood Church also offers a pantry to those struggling in the community, utilising token payments, receiving food exceeding the value making Itec a very proud partner with shared community values.

Glenwood Church Centre facilitates many growth opportunities for Itec learners from seated netball, accommodating the older generation for tea and coffee, a weekly pantry, to sproGz (a mums and tots’ group).

The Jobs Growth Wales Plus programme delivered by Itec across South Wales has had a positive impact on Glenwood Church Centre, especially during the church’s events calendar over Easter and Christmas. In December, Itec learners had the task of assisting with assembling and decorating over twenty Christmas Trees.

Glenwood has been a pivotal part at ensuring each learner on placement has the support they need and has gone above and beyond with the passion they enrich learners with daily, offering a youth-specific space, providing learners a space when they feel overwhelmed. Glenwood has been a pivotal support for learners with physical and mental health with some of these being anxiety, ADHD, and autism, supported by the Itec team and JGW+ curriculum.

As a result of the placement, Itec learners have completed: Level 1 Award in Introduction to Health and Social Care, Customer Service QCF – Level 1, and most of all, grown into inspiring adults. The feedback from past and current learners has been that a placement at Glenwood has given them opportunities that they did not realise were open to them.