YOUNG people from Flintshire and Wrexham have spoken about a council-run project that has helped to change their lives.

The ADTRAC team supports young people aged between 16-24 across the two counties, helping them to overcome any barriers that might make it difficult for them to get a job, onto a training course or into further education.

The service offers one to one intensive support, personalised action plans, wellbeing support, access to training and employability support.

One resident, who has been on the ADTRAC programme since January 2018, said: "It has helped me in all positive ways really. I am a more positive person, even my family have said that since I have started ADTRAC and since I have been working with ADTRAC mentor Nathan I have been a lot more positive and happier."

The 17-year-old also said he is now ready to find a job and feels that the project has helped him to feel confident enough to do it.

ADTRAC is part funded by the European Social Fund through Welsh Government and is led by Grwp Llandrillo Menai across North Wales, working in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council, Flintshire County Council and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health board, with the support of the Department for Work and Pensions and Careers Wales.

Over 468 young people have been referred to the ADTRAC project in total across Wrexham and Flintshire in its first year and the team have had several positive results.

Figures released by the council show that almost three quarters of young people have had a difficulty in engaging in education, employment and training. This reduced to 12% on exit.

Eight out of ten of young people identified lacking in confidence as one of their main barriers into education, employment and training.

Another helped by ADTRAC said; "I used to always stay in and bottle myself up, away from the world. I have not had the support before, so it has always been a struggle. But, with the help of the mental health team and Nathan it has been helpful."

The 22-year-old, who has been on the programme since May 2018, added that he has always had a passion for helping people and now wants to go down the mentoring route and become a mentor with ADTRAC.

Flintshire County Council’s Leader and Cabinet Member for Education and Youth, Cllr Ian Roberts, said: "This is a really great programme. This approach has helped many young people with barriers, whatever they may be, stopping them being able to get a job, onto a training course or into further education, to have more opportunities for independence and well-being. We will continue to build on the success of this first year and continue to provide services that are at the forefront of good practice."

Find out more about the project at www.gllm.ac.uk/adtrac or get in touch with the ADTRAC team for Wrexham and Flintshire at ADTRAC@wrexham.gov.uk for further details regarding the referral process for organisations as well as for self-referrals.