Prison Leavers Matter to North Wales’ Skills Agenda

From a regional skills perspective, our partnership with HMP Berwyn in Wrexham is significant because it connects training inside the prison with the labour market needs of North Wales.

Our role in the Regional Skills Partnership focuses on understanding what employers need and helping to bridge gaps in the workforce. Working with the prison has become an important part of that work.

We share labour market intelligence with HMP Berwyn so that the training provided reflects the reality of local demand. Construction has long been a sector that recognises the value of recruiting prison leavers, and the examples from Williams Homes Bala and Fulcrum Scaffold Safety & Training Ltd show how successful those relationships can be.

But there is potential far beyond construction. Manufacturing is one of our priority sectors, and many employers tell us they face shortages. It is a growing industry in the region, and there is a clear opportunity for more businesses to engage with the work happening inside the prison.

Tourism and hospitality are also areas where the prison offers strong training. During a visit, I saw the restaurant and the facilities used to teach high-quality hospitality skills. It is easy to forget you are in a prison when you see the standard of the equipment and the professionalism of the training. Employers often tell us that soft skills matter as much as technical abilities, and these are very much part of what is taught at HMP Berwyn.

One of the most effective ways to understand the potential is simply to visit or connect with the prison to learn more. When we held an event at Venue Cymru in April, more than 50 employers attended from across different sectors. Hearing directly from someone like Joe McNabb made a real impact. His experience of being employed by Fulcrum just days after leaving prison showed employers what is possible when the right support is in place, and how prison leavers can help address skills shortages while building stable futures for themselves.

For employers who have not yet considered recruiting prison leavers, the message from us is the same as the message from the prison: go and see it. Meet the men, see the workshops, and understand the level of training being delivered. The talent is there, and the support is there. For a region that wants to grow its economy and reduce skills shortages, this is an opportunity worth taking.

Cath Morris-Roberts talks about this and more in the Ambition North Wales podcast episode Realising the Potential of Prison Leavers. Listen to the podcast here.