About Us
Our Mission
Here at Inspire, Train, Grow C.I.C. (ITG) we strongly believe in supporting the journey of young learners as they transition from education to the world of work. To fully support their decision making by equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to take control of their own pathway. We aim to connect learners, schools, training providers and employers to ensure a clear and supportive route to employment in line with the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Furthermore, we aim to follow these principles in supporting under-represented groups on their own journey into meaningful careers.
Meet the Team
Alex McElhoney
Alex is an experienced business operator who has worked in multiple sectors from manufacturing & retail to training & hospitality. His passion is building the foundations of a business and managing its growth with sustainable principles. He loves mentoring people to achieve their potential and prides himself on embedding efficiency throughout all processes. Alex has experience of education, acting as a Cluster School Business Manager for eleven schools. He is an advocate of Apprenticeships and work-based learning but more importantly wants learners to simply get the most out of their experiences.
Claire Fenton
Claire is very much a people and relationships person, as shows in her successful recruitment business Construction Resources Ltd. It was here, with 17 years’ experience, that Claire established excellent and open relationships with national employers in the construction industry. Claire now wants to build on those relationships by leading ITG in providing routes into the sector via Apprenticeships and creative and engaging projects. She has a particular passion for supporting girls and learners with a SEND background to explore their options and firmly believes in equal opportunities for all.
Kacy Melton
Kacy is our business administration apprentice who has had multiple roles within hospitality. She has a passion for maths and a love for numbers. She attended sixth form but quickly came to the realisation that still being in an educational environment wasn’t for her. Kacy now enjoys her role with us and is excited for the future and helping individuals with employment.
Social Investors
Martin Sands
Martin has 25 years of global risk management and audit experience gained mainly in financial services. He has spent the majority of that time working for 2 of the worlds largest insurance groups based in the UK and Italy. After spending 6 years living and working in Italy, Martin and his family returned to the UK in 2022. He is now leading a finance transformation programme for a UK based multinational company.
support us in driving equal access to opportunity across the region.
Sally Ross
Non-Executive Directors
Janine Woodward
Hi, my name is Janine and for over 20 years I have worked in financial services, beginning as a Research Assistant at Charterhouse Securities in 2001. I have extensive administrative and business support experience and hope to put this to good use with ITG. I am passionate about self- development and equal opportunity, and I am a member of the Investec Wealth & Investment Regional Women’s Network, the Learning & Development Working Group and the Belonging, Inclusion & Diversity Working Group. Furthermore, I also recently took the role as an Investec Ally for minority groups.
I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to help support the work of ITG moving forward.
Join Us
We are always looking for individuals to complement our team and grow with us. Whether that be careers service professionals, IAG professionals, Administrators or simply someone with passion and drive……please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Socials
Keep up to date with the latest news on our social media channels.
Our Vision
FAQ
How can we work together?
This one is easy. Get in touch. We’re a small, dynamic organisation and that gives us the flexibility to work creatively and responsive. We’re open to any opportunity that puts the candidate at the centre of the journey.
Can you come into our school?
Of course, we’d love to. Send us an email or catch us on one of our social channels and we’ll give you a call back at a time that suits. From there we can arrange a meeting and see in what ways we can work together and best support your pupils, whether that be 1-2-1 or full year groups. Our sessions cover Year 7 and up.
How much does it cost?
That depends on what we want to achieve together. Where possible we will try and secure funding to help reduce costs or signpost you to available resources. Our new tracking pathway app Flagstone is available on a per pupil basis and can be independent from our other services. Contact us to find out more.
I’m from an employer, can we get involved?
We can’t achieve what we want without you. We’re looking for employers who believe in what we do, who could come and talk to our candidates, offer site visits and ultimately apprenticeships. No organisation is too big.......or too small.
Do you offer apprenticeships?
We don’t but we can support individuals to pick the right one for them. We partner with local, quality driven training providers and employers who have their own programme. We are always seeking new apprenticeship partners that can take our pre-qualified candidates
Work With Us
No one organisation can properly support young people on such an important journey at this stage of their life. We aim to take every step alongside our candidates, but we need our partners to be with us at each milestone as we move forward. We need schools, training providers, employers and many other organisations who share our commitment to growing the workforce of tomorrow. Who have a passion to ensure young people can reach their full potential in an area that most suits their talents.
Do you work with other under-represented groups? Do you share our passion for helping every individual fulfil their potential? Do our services complement each other? Or can we work together on a funding bid?
If that sounds like you and your organisation, then have a look at our Partners section to find out more.