Earlestown

Local residents looking for employment or training opportunities are encouraged to call in and take the first step to an exciting and successful future.

A new employment, education and training support facility has opened in Earlestown. Located on Bridge Street, the Ways to Work Centre sees experienced St Helens Borough Council staff, who are part of the Liverpool City Region's flagship Ways to Work programme, collaborate initially with Career Connect and Jobcentre Plus to offer a one-stop shop service to support local people through mentoring, coaching, advice and guidance, and job searching. 

This centre follows the opening of the St Helens town centre branch, which opened in 2021.

Ways to Work is the borough's largest employment support programme, delivered by the council and working with all local partners to deliver sustainable employment, education and training outcomes for local residents. 

It is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and has registered and worked with over 3000 residents since its inception in 2016, helping over 1200 people into employment, training and education.

According to The Office for National Statistics, data shows that 7,420 people were claiming out-of-work benefits in St Helens as of April 2021, compared to just 4,325 in March 2020.  

The council and its partners recognise, that as result of these dire statistics, there is a clear need to widen the accessibility of the borough's employment support service and that the demand for support through will grow, just as it has throughout the pandemic period. 

The centres will enable co-location of council staff with key strategic local partners, in highly visible and accessible locations, allowing staff from St Helens Borough Council's Ways to Work programme to work alongside Career Coaches from Career Connect and Jobcentre Plus advisers to offer mentoring, coaching, advice and guidance, and job search support.

The centres will provide local residents with direct access to impartial and tailored career information, advice and guidance leading to accessing local employment, education and training opportunities.

There will be direct access to key workers and employment coaches, who will work one-to-one with local residents to provide all kinds of support, recognising that the needs of the individuals will differ. Some of the services that will be available include:

• Coaching and mentoring
• Volunteering and paid work experience opportunities
• Access to a wide range of training courses
• Kickstart placements
• Skills development
• Information and advice
• 1:1 support
• Group guidance
• Job search
• CV writing
• Interview preparation and techniques

The Earlestown Ways to Work Centre is located at 30 Bridge Street, Earlestown, WA12 9BA. The centre is open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and the team can be contacted by calling 01744 676131 or emailing waystowork@sthelens.gov.uk