What is Good Growth?

Good Growth is a major shift from decades of global economic policy. By striving for good growth, we look to shape an economy and a society that shares wealth and opportunity, as well as means to gain skills, find purpose, health and happiness, and a feeling of security.

We know that people with privilege are more likely to dominate roles in the creative industries: whether that be due to gender, economic background, disability, or ethnicity. Those with privilege are more likely to succeed in accessing roles and climbing the ladder than those without. The Good Growth Hub creates an impact by working closely with employers to raise awareness of hiring and development practices and create programmes reflective of the skills needed to sustain roles. We therefore forge new paths to creative workplace opportunities, giving young people across the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, and Waltham Forest confidence and the means to break into these industries and enable a more reflective sector, visible pathways, and inclusive workplaces.

So far, we’ve supported over 2,000 young people through education and specialist skills training in the creative, cultural, and digital sectors. We’ve also placed more than 450 people into employment. Our trainers and mentors are hugely skilled, with lived experience of the challenges of finding your way into these hard-to-reach sectors. Our impact can be long-lasting: we find that people come back to us time and time again for additional training, mentoring or coaching, having found passion for continued personal and career development.

We match promising jobs and careers with purpose-led organisations and young people. We co-create targeted skills training and apprenticeships with these employers that respond directly to their current and future needs by getting under the skin of the ever-changing requirements of employers and the roles they are looking to fill. Those we work with have committed to inclusive working practices that prioritise equity and diversity so that we can improve representation and democracy of opportunity for our whole society.

Our programmes and services are growing every year. In the first year of STEP, a 12-month paid entry-level traineeship, we hosted nine young people in one cohort. In 2023/24, we doubled the number of employers and young people placed into roles, and this year (2024/25) we’re expanding that impact to 65 new roles per year.

The Good Growth Hub is only just getting started. As we continue our journey, our ambition is that more employers will join us in our mission for lasting, meaningful change by committing to fair and inclusive working practices. From local SME employers to major institutions, we forge long-term partnerships with businesses that share our vision for a more inclusive local economy.