HMP Berwyn in Wrexham and the North Wales Regional Skills Partnership are urging more employers to consider working with prisons after seeing strong results from programmes that prepare prison leavers for work before release and support them into jobs afterwards.
The prison houses around 2,000 prisoners and runs a broad range of training and workplace-style programmes covering construction, hospitality, catering, engineering, personal training and land-based skills.
The prison’s Head of Education, Skills and Work, Sarah Cadenne de Lannoy, told the Ambition North Wales podcast, produced in association with Business News Wales, that the aim is to create a realistic working environment where prisoners gain qualifications, learn practical skills and develop the confidence needed to secure work quickly once released. She said the impact on the prisoners, their families and their communities can be significant.
Sarah described the set-up at HMP Berwyn as similar to a college environment, with fully equipped workshops provided through industry partnerships. She said the prison works to ensure prisoners can follow a complete learning journey, including maths and English where needed, but that they also find ways to recognise the ability and motivation of those who do not follow traditional academic routes. The priority, she said, is preparing people for employment and giving them a sense of purpose.
Two companies currently working inside Berwyn have become central examples of what can be achieved when employers engage with the prison. Williams Homes Bala has run a workshop in the prison for six years, producing structural timber frames and other timber-based products for housing developments across North and Mid Wales.
Managing director Tony Hughes said the programme has grown from an initial group of six prisoners to around 36 at any one time, with as many as 240 to 250 having taken part since the project began. Some move directly into employment with the company after release.
Tony said one of the early concerns was how clients might react to the idea of products being made inside a prison, but he said the response has been positive. The prisoners treat the work as a job, he added, and take real pride in the quality of what they produce.
Fulcrum Scaffold Safety and Training delivers accredited scaffolding courses at HMP Berwyn. Managing director David Abraham said the firm’s focus is not only on the training itself but on helping prison leavers secure jobs and settle into work when they return to the community. He highlighted the role of Fulcrum’s business development manager, Joe McNabb, who was released from prison a year ago and has since supported dozens of prison leavers into employment.
David said the support offered during the first weeks after release is often crucial, and that Joe’s experience means he is able to step in with practical help when needed. He described a situation where Joe transported a man to an interview because he had no way of getting there, and another where he arranged travel funds so someone could begin work the next morning.
The North Wales Regional Skills Partnership – part of Ambition North Wales – said it is working closely with HMP Berwyn to align training with employer demand in North Wales. Senior skills delivery officer Cath Morris-Roberts said the construction sector has long been open to recruiting prison leavers, but that the aim now is to build awareness across other sectors, particularly manufacturing, which is facing significant shortages. Tourism and hospitality are also seen as areas that could benefit from the skills being developed inside the prison.
Cath said the facilities at Berwyn are often a surprise to first-time visitors and that employers who see the workshops, meet the prisoners and understand the level of training delivered usually leave with a different view of the potential.
Sarah said the message to employers is straightforward:
“We want to engage with anyone and everyone that is willing to work with us.”
She added that the prison has people ready to move into manufacturing and logistics roles in particular.
David’s message was similar.
“What are you waiting for?” he said, arguing that employers looking to fill skills gaps should not overlook the talent and motivation available in prisons.
Hear more on the Ambition North Wales podcast episode Realising the Potential of Prison Leavers. Listen to the podcast here.
