Big Issue partners with Bute Energy to help jobseekers facing employment barriers find work in Welsh renewables

• Big Issue and Welsh renewable energy developer Bute Energy launch innovative partnership to transform local opportunities in renewables
• Big Issue Recruit will work with jobseekers to prepare them for prospective employment with contractors for Twyn Hywel Energy Park
• The partnership is part of Bute Energy’s commitment to creating a lasting legacy for Welsh communities
• Bute Energy are innovating to keep as much of the investment in Wales for the benefit of the Welsh economy, people and communities

Friday 09 May – A new partnership is set to create a pathway for people in Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf who face employment barriers to find work through a major new onshore wind development.

Bute Energy and Big Issue Recruit have launched an innovative new partnership to help transform employment opportunities in the renewable energy industry in south Wales.   The partnership will enable the Big Issue’s recruitment service to employ a dedicated job coach who will work with candidates from local communities to overcome barriers to work and seek employment on the Twyn Hywel wind farm project.

With construction on the energy park set to begin in 2026 and to be completed in 2027, Twyn Hywel will be the UKs first generating onshore wind development built under the new Labour Government. The project received consent from the Welsh Government in November. It is expected to create hundreds of jobs directly and through the supply chain.

A six-month pilot will see a dedicated job coach work intensively with around 50 candidates, using Big Issue Recruit’s tried-and-tested employability support to prepare them for various roles at local businesses contributing to the Twyn Hywel Development.

Big Issue Recruit is a national service which helps candidates break down a number of complex and often deeply entrenched barriers to work, such as poor mental health or digital exclusion, and prepare them for employment.

Candidates complete a full 12-week programme of training before being certified ‘work ready’ by their job coaches, at which point they receive support with obtaining and then sustaining work.

Big Issue’s job coaches will continue with regular check-ins with any candidates that find work at contractors supplying goods and services to Bute Energy as they develop the Twyn Hywel Project.

Catherine Parsons, Managing Director of Big Issue Recruit, said: “For more than 30 years, the Big Issue has created opportunities for people who face barriers to work, earn, learn and thrive. Big Issue Recruit aims to support people into sustainable jobs – a goal shared by candidates and our employer partners, like Bute Energy, who want to get local people from all walks of life embarking on long-term careers at their energy parks.

“We’re excited to bring this approach to South Wales and connect people with the brilliant local employer that is Bute Energy and their state-of-the-art energy park at Twyn Hywel.”    

Catryn Newton, Director of Communications and Community Investment at Bute Energy, said: “We’re proud to have partnered with Big Issue Recruit. They’ve shown employers that it’s possible to support a more inclusive, upskilled workforce by creating pathways to sustainable careers. We’re delighted to take up the challenge and contribute to their mission.

“It’s our mission to leave a positive, enduring legacy for the communities hosting our energy parks. We’re doing that by working with local people to understand how and where our investment should be targeted to maximise its benefit for local people.

“Through our Social Value Standard, we’re also creating a legacy through the jobs created by our energy parks. That means developing the skills we need to staff the jobs of the future in Wales. It also means ensuring the jobs created through our supply chain help to support local people, including those who face barriers to work. This is how we want to make positive social change and keep as much of our investment in Wales as possible.

“We hope this pilot will be a success we can replicate across our projects.”

Twyn Hywel Energy Park will be built on land approximately 3km north of Caerphilly in the Aber Valley. The wind farm’s 14 turbines will provide 92.4MW of electricity – the equivalent of taking all cars off the road in Caerphilly County Borough each year, or of powering 81,000 homes.

As part of the project, Bute Energy has created the Twyn Hywel Community Benefit Fund, which has committed to invest more than £30 million into the community over the 40 year life of the project. This investment of £693,000 per year has been agreed by Bute Energy through engagement with local communities since 2021, with community representatives helping to make decisions on where and how the funds are invested in the local area.