The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a new £1.3m fund to help increase employment and training opportunities in the creative industries for Londoners.
As part of the Mayor’s Creative Enterprise Zones, the fund will support jobs and small businesses by providing skills and training to under-represented groups in the industry in Hounslow.
It will particularly help create opportunities for young Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners and women, through work placements, training and mentoring delivered in partnerships in the boroughs. These Londoners are already under-represented in the industry and are likely to have been further disadvantaged by the impact of covid-19.
The fund is designed to help more than 225 Londoners into education, training or employment between April 2021 and June 2023, and a further 120 creative sector employees to improve their career prospects.
The Mayor created his Creative Enterprise Zones programme in 2018 to support artists and creative businesses, and develop skills and jobs for Londoners in distinctive zones across the capital. The zones are providing funding and creating affordable workspace to help innovation and create jobs that will help accelerate the economic recovery.
It comprises £650,000 from the European Social Fund, £450,000 from the Mayor’s Creative Enterprise Zones programme and £200,000 from Hounslow and Lambeth.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Culture and the creative industries are at the heart of our city, and they will play a huge role in our economic and social recovery. That’s why we must do all we can to support jobs and small businesses at this challenging time, and that includes ensuring there are opportunities available to all. Our Creative Enterprise Zones are designed to inspire innovation and nurture talent across the capital, and this funding will help to provide further education, training and employment to develop the next generation of creative leaders.”
Caroline Norbury MBE, CEO at Creative Industries Federation said: “With the impact of Covid on the creative sector, it is more important than ever that we invest in the next generation of creative talent and continue to nurture and support young people to access opportunities, regardless of their background. These funds are a lifeline for local creative clusters, and a great example of the important work being done through the Mayor’s Creative Enterprise Zones. It will support jobs and training in the sector, help drive economic recovery and ensure that our world-leading creative industries continue to thrive.”
Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council and Cabinet Member for Strategy, Planning and Regeneration said: “I’m delighted Hounslow will be receiving this funding from the Greater London Authority through the Creative Enterprise Zone programme. Continued investment in our local creative businesses forms an integral part of our economic recovery planning. It will support a key objective for our CEZ in helping our residents, many from BAME communities who may not previously have considered a career in the creative industries, into work. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hounslow is forecast to be one of the hardest hit boroughs in London, this financial support will provide a timely boost.”
