Byron Kent X Walkabout Pet Services

From Uncertainty to Opportunity: Byron’s Story

When Byron started Itec he came in on engagement strand, he was a quiet, shy lad and needed quite a lot of reassurance. He did not have the best high school experience and was not sure about his future. Byron found it quite hard to speak about his worries and barriers. However, after some time, he found a group of like-minded people and formed friendships in centre, this really helped him come out of his shell as an individual. He would take part in more group activities, building up his confidence in centre and realised it was ok to ask for help.

After a period, Byron went out on his first placement dog walking with ‘Walkabout Pet Services’. Byron would be picked up by the owner and the would be taught how to manage the dogs whilst walking them and teach basic behaviour skills.

Byron excelled and really loved this placement; this gave him the confidence to even apply to Cardiff dogs home for an apprenticeship. He went into the interview with confidence and purpose, and although he was not selected, he came away feeling like he had really given it everything and they said that they would be happy to have him reapply after some more experience.

Byron will be going back to placement with ‘Walkabout Pet Services’ soon to gain further experience with animals, which will continue to enhance his employability.

Would you recommend Itec to someone?

Yes, I would recommend Itec to other younger people as it gives them a chance to build their own future, find things that they enjoy, and to learn to grow as a person. They have helped me with gaining specific skills such as working on my confidence, learning independence and responsibility, being resilient, and figuring out how to cope under pressure.

How was your experience with being here?

My experience with Itec has gone well. Before I started Itec I had stopped going to high school as I didn’t enjoy it very much, I was quite clueless about my future, and I had no idea what I wanted to do and didn’t feel very inspired. I feel like I have grown exponentially because I had a bit of a bumpy start when I first started attending Itec. I was rarely coming in, I didn’t feel very connected with my other peers, I wasn’t as confident as I am now and felt like I couldn’t talk about what was going on, but my tutors have been a big help to me, they were there for me when I felt pretty alone, they were there for me, got me a lot of help, and showed me that I could talk to people about how I was feeling, and they put things in place to help me succeed and thrive in this environment. – Byron Kent.