Parkside Link Road brings forward jobs and skills opportunities for the local community

Article date: 23 March 2022

Work has already started on constructing the new link road which will connect the Parkside site to J22 of the M6 motorway, taking goods traffic away from nearby roads such as the A49, helping to reduce the impact on residential roads and improve the local environment.  

St Helens Borough Council has appointed contractor Balfour Beatty to build the new link road and its delivery has been supported by a £24m grant from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. The link road is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. 

The construction of the road will see a number of new job opportunities, apprenticeships and traineeships in a variety of different roles including engineers, project managers, surveyors, landscape designers and office and administration jobs.  In addition to this,   opportunities are also on offer to provide numerous professional and academic qualifications as well as on the job training and skills development. 

Politicians and senior council officers visited the Parkside site last week and were delighted to meet just two of the new local recruits who have been taken on - Rosie Tully who is working as a Health & Safety Advisor and Flynn McFarlane an apprentice Civil Engineer.  

Rosie, who lives locally in Newton le Willows said; "Working on the Parkside Scheme is a fantastic opportunity for me as a local young Health and Safety Officer, working to support a complex construction project, and I am really grateful of this opportunity to progress my career within construction, in my hometown." 

Just some of the expected employment and skills opportunities over the next 18 months include; 

• 18 apprenticeship/traineeships 
• 11 new jobs  
• 127 school and youth engagement programme opportunities 
• 94 employees accessing training courses 
• 21 employees gaining professional and academic qualifications 

This will be in addition to the social value secured from contractors once they start work on site. 

Council Leader Councillor David Baines said: "From the very beginning we were determined in ensuring that the Parkside link road would deliver real value to our communities in Newton le Willows and beyond across St Helens Borough. 

"We're delighted to be working closely with Balfour Beatty to ensure social value and inclusive growth directly benefits local residents of all ages, as well as providing a comprehensive on the job training and skills programme, the opportunity to gain a professional qualification, and a schools programme to provide insights into future career choices and inspire our local young people. 

It's vital that the council continues to do all it can to create new job and training opportunities for local people and that's exactly what we are committed to doing." 

The Parkside Link Road is one of the biggest infrastructure projects currently taking place in the borough and across the region, and its construction allows for the potential unlocking of the wider site, bringing much needed jobs and capitalising on the potential for a strategic rail freight interchange. 

Eddie Lundon, Area Director at Balfour Beatty, said: "Wherever we operate, we always aim to leave behind a lasting positive legacy; whether that be through the use of a local supply chain, or through the many employment opportunities we provide. 

"As we commence construction on the Parkside Link Road, we are pleased that, working alongside St Helen's Borough Council, we are able to continue on this trajectory with numerous apprenticeship and graduate positions and training opportunities to become available over the next 18-months, ensuring that local St Helens businesses and residents are given every opportunity to benefit from the project."