Specialist Wales-wide training provider Itec has invested in the wellbeing and mental health of its learners by partnering with leading health and wellbeing platform, Red Dot 365, after recent data revealed that 49% of 16-24 year olds ‘do not feel well-prepared to do the course or get the job they want’.

Itec is the first work based training and skills provider in Wales to invest in the software, which provides tailored, evidence-driven health and wellbeing solutions for its users.

The investment from Itec enables its regional centres to monitor what issues have the greatest impact on their learners. In turn, the team understand what areas of support to focus on, creating a positive emotional climate for the learners to succeed.

Learners are delivered pulse surveys which capture real-time insights which can be tracked over time, with questions that reflect the current issues learners may be facing – for example, the latest data from Red Dot 365 shows that over half of learners are feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis on their wellbeing (54.4%).

Ceri Murphy, Managing Director at Itec said:

“Every day we transform people’s lives by helping them believe in themselves, become more motivated, helping them find employment, progress their careers, acquire new qualifications and skills, or set up in business.

“By partnering with Red Dot 365 we are able to capture learners’ perception of their own health and wellbeing, allowing us to support them in a tailored and targeted way. We want to be able to track and measure health and wellbeing to ensure we are making a difference to our learners’ lives.

“Managing mental health can be a significant factor across different groups of young people who are looking to start a new course, training or find employment. We want to remove as many barriers as possible for our learners and help them reach their full potential.”

The platform also raises awareness for learners to track their own mental health and wellbeing and understand what solutions work for them and why. The personal portal includes a ‘Red Dot’ feature available to the learner 24/7 365 that is directly linked to a qualified mental health therapist and coach at the press of a button, for times of crisis.

John Williams Director of Red Dot 365 said:

“We are keen to capture the voice of the learner, raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing, giving them easy access to the right support when they need it the most. We want to ensure they play a major role in creating a positive emotional climate and a great place to learn. We are delighted to be working in partnership with a forward-thinking organisation like ITEC.”