A vacant retail unit on Bridge Street in Earlestown has been transformed into a high-profile careers centre to support out of work residents through a range of employment, education, and training opportunities.
The Ways to Work centre will see experienced St Helens Borough Council staff – part of the Liverpool City Region’s flagship European Social Funded Ways to Work programme – collaborate with Career Connect, Jobcentre Plus, Torus and a host of other local partner organisations to offer a one-stop shop service to support local people into employment, education or training through mentoring, coaching, advice and guidance, and job searching.
Made possible by Liverpool City Region Town Centre Funding to help local businesses and the economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the Ways to Work centre follows on from the successful launch of a St Helens Town Centre branch last summer, providing drop-in employment advice, including CV writing tips and interview preparation, as well as access to a number of paid work experience roles and full or part-time vacancies – some being immediate start positions.
Since launching in 2016, the St Helens Ways to Work programme has helped more than 1,300 people into employment, training, and education – with more than 300 of those coming during the coronavirus pandemic.
In January this year, the service received a boost after £1.9m in funding was secured for the continuation of the programme as part of a £4m package to deliver a number of ambitious projects to support residents from all different backgrounds into employment and training opportunities.
The Ways to Work centre will be open for drop-ins Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.
For more information on the programme, visit www.sthelens.gov.uk/business/ways-to-work/ email waystowork@sthelens.gov.uk or call 01744 676131.
