Premier Forest Products offers paid placements and mentoring to help care-experienced young people gain skills, confidence and qualifications
A NEWPORT-BASED timber company supporting care-experienced young people through paid work placements has become the first private sector business to sign the Welsh Government’s Corporate Parenting Charter.
Premier Forest Products, working in partnership with Newport City Council, offers paid placements for up to six care-experienced young people each year, alongside mentoring support and educational tutoring where needed.
The company has so far supported 12 young people, providing placements across a range of departments including finance, operations, logistics and manufacturing. The scheme aims to help participants build confidence, gain structure and develop the skills needed to move successfully into the world of work.
Each young person on the programme is paired with an in-house mentor and receives wraparound support. Where applicable, the company also provides funding for tuition and exam fees up to GCSE level, helping young people achieve the basic qualifications required to pursue their chosen career paths.
Corporate parenting is described as the collective responsibility of public bodies to ensure care-experienced children and young people have the same opportunities as others across Wales. While traditionally led by local authorities and elected members, the Welsh Government has highlighted the important role the private sector can play in helping young people flourish.
So far, 73 public and third sector organisations have signed up to the charter. Those who sign agree to follow corporate parenting principles when delivering services, designing new initiatives and identifying opportunities to support care-experienced children and young people.
Minister for Children and Social Care Dawn Bowden praised the scheme, calling it an example of corporate parenting in action.
She said: “These work placements are a fantastic example of how corporate parenting works in practice.
“Through the scheme, Premier Forest Products helps equip care experienced young people to have high aspirations and to secure the best outcomes for themselves. I’m delighted they have become the first private sector company to sign, and complete, our corporate parenting charter.”
Terry Edgell, Group CEO of Premier Forest Products, said the company believes commercial success comes with social responsibility.
He said: “As a business, we have always believed that commercial success comes with social responsibility. The idea behind our corporate parenting programme is simple: if we can give these young people the same care, encouragement, and structure we would give our own children, we can change their life chances.
“What started as a local pilot in Newport has become something much bigger. We are seeing the tangible difference this makes.
“Young people are now thriving, working, and believing in themselves again. Our goal is to roll this out nationally, and to inspire other employers to do the same.”
