About us

We are an employment, skills, and training hub connecting young East Londoners with local and creative businesses. Our vision is to see East London’s young people thrive and local businesses grow, thanks to the work we do together, guided by a set of positive action principles to support those who would most benefit from the opportunities we create.

The Good Growth Hub is a place for young people (aged 18-30) based in east London to access training, experience, and employment opportunities in the cultural, creative, and digital technology sectors with employers based in and around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Our work widens access to these opportunities to those living in the community and supports businesses to prosper thanks to the capability and ambition of local people.

We’re working to ensure that the employment opportunities arising from the development on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are accessible to young people living in neighbouring boroughs. Being in the park means we’re on the doorstep of change: we’re rooted in the exciting opportunities of this fast-changing and growing place. We’re here because we work closely with exciting employers in media, fashion, tech, and more, who are as committed to inclusive growth as we are. We only work with employers who provide the London Living Wage at a minimum, and who demonstrate that their workplaces are diverse and inclusive (or have a plan in place to get there). 

It can be tough to break into work in the cultural, creative, and digital sectors. It’s no secret that those with privilege can snap up opportunities before local people - whether that be because of who they know, where they went to school, or some other factor. Good Growth represents an opportunity to shape an economy and a society in a way that puts community first. By investing in the potential of young people through skills and training, paid experience, mentoring, and more, we increase awareness of and access to the opportunities available in the creative, cultural, and digital sectors. Through our work, we enable our society to better share wealth and opportunity, as well as skills, purpose, and connection.

Why we exist

When London was selected to host the 2012 Olympic Games, a belief was shared among the host boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest that there was potential to create a positive, legacy for east London and beyond. The Games were a means to bring communities together so they might prosper long into the future. The crux of the legacy was the creation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with new attractions, business districts and neighbourhoods at its heart.

Since the London Olympic Games in 2012, the place which hosted the Games has been transformed into a destination where people live, work and play. Global industries and SME businesses have made their home here, offering opportunities for growth and innovation. Most recently, there has been an influx of creative business at East Bank - a new cluster for culture and innovation which has seen the BBC, Sadler’s Wells, the London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A establish new centres away from traditional locations in central London.

The Good Growth Hub works to ensure this change benefits everyone in our community. Many arts, cultural and tech clusters in local boroughs, cities and regions around the UK succeed in attracting global renown and major international businesses - which bring wealth and ‘regeneration’. But these places have faced challenges and learnings to fulfil the potential they have in spreading that wealth and opportunity for growth among those who call that place their home.
What we do

Our mission is to ensure the change that is taking place across East London benefits everyone in our community. Research has shown that in areas of regeneration, there is often limited awareness of job roles available among new businesses, and among the job roles available these fail to be inclusive in their hiring practices and can be financially unviable for local young people.

Studies also show that workforces in new areas of opportunity are often unrepresentative of the local community. Inspired by this reality, we work in partnership with our communities, businesses, local government and funders to improve access to the exciting opportunities that East London has to offer.

The Good Growth Hub was established by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) in May 2021. LLDC is the organisation responsible for the stewardship of investment into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The Park is at the centre of the creation of new neighbourhoods, new places to work, as well as schools, medical centres, and places to spend leisure time. One of the LLDC’s main aims is to ensure the benefits from investment into the Park are experienced by those living in and around the Park.

The Good Growth Hub’s work is delivered in partnership with A New Direction – a not-for-profit London-based organisation with over 15 years of experience generating opportunities for young people and children by developing their creative potential and agency.

Our work would not be possible without our funders, including Arts Council England, Mayor of London, Foundation for Future London and Westfield Stratford City, and our partner local authorities, including Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets Council.

As a team, we support our community to access new creative opportunities, people, and ideas. Find out who we are and get in touch.

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