ICAN Education was set up in February 2022. Cwmbran Life is putting the spotlight on independent businesses in and around the area. 

Research by Keeping it Local said when you spend £1 with a small/medium-sized business around 63p remains in the local economy. Only 40p stays local when you shop with larger businesses. The money you spend locally circulated through local businesses helping them to grow.

Every business owner has a story to tell. We spoke to Christie and asked her a few questions. 

What is your business?

ICAN Education is a private tuition centre for children aged 4-18 years, based here in Cwmbran. ICAN Education offers Maths, English and Science-based tuition, delivered by experienced, committed and enthusiastic tutors. Building children’s confidence in their learning is at the heart of everything that the tutors provide at the centre. All tutors strive to equip learners with the tools they need to be inquisitive and independent learners. 

ICAN Education offers a free assessment for your child, at the centre, where tutors will get to know each individual learner’s needs and learning styles, putting together a tailored individual learning plan to allow your child to develop and succeed. Tuition lessons at ICAN are fun, exciting and relaxed, allowing children to feel comfortable when asking questions and enabling them to progress and develop at a pace that is suited to them! 

Why did you want to work for yourself?

Through working within the Education system for many years, I appreciate how fast school years move on! During the Coronavirus pandemic, it was identified that many learners would have gaps in their progress from months in lockdown. This came hand in hand with an effect on children’s wellbeing and social and emotional development.

After tutoring local children at home, once lockdown rules eased, I was soon inundated with requests for new children to join and have support with their learning. Within three months, we were able to open ICAN Education at our current location on Station Road and we are lucky enough to have three lovely classrooms where our six tutors can plan and deliver their lessons! 

What are the best things about running a business and what are the challenges? How have you overcome the challenges? 

There are so many positives! We have the pleasure of seeing our students progress week by week; we have brilliant feedback from parents and school teachers, thanking us for supporting the children in their learning. We are able to build valuable relationships with the parents of our students, giving each parent individual feedback on their child’s progress after each session.

We love to see the children who attend ICAN Education, making new friendships with children from different schools and seeing their confidence develop week by week is an absolute pleasure. Although it was a huge risk to leave a full-time job to set out on my own, I am so glad that I did it. Our business is growing each month. We have a strong team of six tutors on board now who are experienced and enthusiastic – planning fantastic learning experiences for the children that they teach here.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a business?

My advice would be to do your research. Market your idea first to assess the need for your business in the local area. Mostly, be brave and take the risk.

Tell us how customers can contact you? 

If you are interested in booking in a free assessment for your child, please call Christie on 07483153457 or email [email protected]

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