This week, Cumberland Council and its Carlisle Southern Link Road (CSLR) supply chain successfully delivered a three-day work experience programme for 130 Year 9 and 10 students at Caldew School in Dalston. The hands-on initiative provided invaluable insights into the CSLR project and the wide range of career opportunities within the construction industry.
Developed in collaboration with key CSLR contractors - including Galliford Try Infrastructure, Story Contracting, Heidelberg Materials, GoGreen, Danny Sullivan Group, Premier Traffic Management, and Peacocks Precision Services - the programme gave students a unique opportunity to explore different roles in the industry.
With a diverse range of businesses involved, students gained first-hand experience in various aspects of construction, helping to guide their educational and career choices. The week kicked off with an introduction to the construction industry and an overview of the CSLR project. Throughout the programme, industry professionals delivered interactive sessions covering areas such as commercial, operations, design, engineering, and communications. A highlight of the experience was a visit to the CSLR site, where students witnessed the scale and complexity of the £200 million infrastructure project.
Cumberland Councillor Denise Rollo, Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said:
“We are thrilled to have delivered this work experience programme for Caldew School, situated close to the CSLR project. Once completed, the new road will benefit the local community, and we are committed to ensuring young people have access to the opportunities this industry has to offer. By engaging with this programme, students have gained a unique insight into the vast career possibilities within construction - an industry they may not have previously considered. We hope this initiative has inspired them to explore careers in this rewarding field.
“This project is a testament to the power of collaboration, bringing together businesses, educators, and industry professionals to create an enriching experience. Providing young people with hands-on exposure to real-world projects is key to developing a skilled workforce for the future. We are incredibly grateful to our contractors for their enthusiasm and support in making this programme a success.”
Caldew School Headteacher Vicki Jackson said:
“The students involved in the project have had an amazing experience hearing firsthand about the CSLR project and the diverse range of careers linked to the new infrastructure both now and in the future. The comments and feedback from the students is extremely positive and we thank all the major contractors and industry professionals for their involvement this week. This has been a truly collaborative project with our students at the heart of it.”
About the Carlisle Southern Link Road:
The Carlisle Southern Link Road will connect Junction 42 of the M6 with the A595 to the west. The route will feature new junctions linking existing radial routes into Carlisle and the Garden Village, along with bridges spanning two major railway lines and the Caldew and Petteril rivers. A comprehensive network of footways and cycleways, combined with extensive landscaping and environmental mitigation measures, will further enhance the project.
Stretching 8km, the road will play a crucial role in reducing congestion in Carlisle while enabling the accelerated delivery of St Cuthbert's Garden Village, a key development for the region’s future growth.
