The growing value of Education.
05.05.11
A South Wales training organisation has unveiled its latest property acquisition in the drive to improve the education experience of its young learners – an allotment!
ITEC Training has taken on an overgrown plot at Leckwith Droves, a large area containing scores of Cardiff Council allotments behind Bessemer Road, near the Cardiff City Stadium.
The idea is to give learners hands-on experience of not only growing vegetables and fruit, but planning and rotating crops and organising the distribution of produce to community homes in the area.
To get them off to a good start, one of the country’s leading builders’ merchants, Travis Perkins, has donated a range of gardening
tools and equipment, including the free hire of rotavators and strimmers.
Between 80 and 130 people are on courses at ITEC’s Cardiff Academy in Curran Road at any one time, ranging from young learners aged 16 and above on basic skills courses to adults training for more job-specific qualifications. ITEC has recently been
awarded a major three-year rolling contract by the Welsh Assembly Government which will more than double its work-based learning programme.
Learner Hannah Mason said "Working on an allotment is not normally something you'd expect, but it is outdoors and healthy and you do learn skills."
ITEC managing director Steve Brangwyn said “The allotment activities will be dovetailed with the learning curriculum and will enrich the learners’ experience outside the Academy. We are pleased with the level of interest from learners.”
Steve Vaughan, manager of Travis Perkins in Pontypridd, said “We have long-standing links with ITEC and are pleased to support the work they do. We may be a very big company but we all need to play a part in promoting skills in our local communities.”
