Here East and LLDC’s Good Growth Hub launches Industry Insights programme to help young people kickstart careers in the gaming sector

Today, Here East and The Good Growth Hub announce the launch of a new Industry Insights programme to help kickstart the careers of young people from across East London in the gaming sector (@StaffsUni). 

In association with Into Games (@intogamesHQ) and Games Anglia, the intensive short course is aimed at individuals aged 18-24 based in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest. It is curated to equip them with the skills and experience required to begin an entry-level role in the industry. 

The gaming industry is one of the most exciting fast-growth sectors in the UK, with the gaming market valued at $180bn globally. The sector’s growth has accelerated the demand for talent across many areas, including software engineering, design, and marketing. 

Through this collaborative partnership with Into Games and Games Anglia, this course aims to create a pathway into the industry and provide local young people with the training and education to gain employment in the sector. They will have the opportunity to secure a work placement in the gaming industry via the Into Games KickStart scheme (A 6-month role paid at a minimum of London Living Wage) and will have an opportunity to apply for the Here East scholarship programme. Upon completing the entire course, it will enhance their university application for a gaming-related course at Staffordshire University London. They will also be able to access a variety of services at the Good Growth Hub, including career support through the tailored information, advice and guidance service. 

The course will also include an intensive programme of workshops and individual activities held by professionals within the industry, including session in Games Design, Games Marketing and Social Media, alongside career support including CV writing, interview training and people management.  

Here East is one of the UK’s fastest-growing esports clusters. Home to esports and gaming businesses BT Sports, Sports interactive, and Bidstack as well as Staffordshire University London – which offers the UK’s first esports undergraduate course.  Here East is spearheading a campaign to create a world-class esports cluster on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which will drive job creation and bring an industry worth $180bn globally to East London.  

Situated at the Hackney Bridge site on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, The Good Growth hub acts as a focal point for local people seeking Park-based careers and for employers seeking to recruit diverse, local talent. Designed and delivered in collaboration with local employers and industry specialists, the Good Growth hub delivers a wide range of high-quality career programmes for local young people including London Living Wage-paid internships, support for freelancers, demand lead training programmes, apprenticeships and careers advice and coaching. Over the next 5 years, the GGH will provide advice and guidance to over 2,500 local people and help over 450 people into work. 

Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, comments: 

“Ensuring that young people across East London benefit from the businesses and academic institutions based at Here East has always been a top priority for us, and so we are delighted to launch this new Industry Insight Programme alongside The Good Growth Hub to help jump start careers into the gaming sector. The gaming industry is one of the most exciting high-growth sectors at the moment, and ensuring that young people have access to the education, support and experiences to capitalise on job opportunities within the sector is highly important.” 

Oliver Benjamin, Director of Employment and Skills, Good Growth Hub team comments: 

‘Gaming is a big and growing market that represents a wealth of varied and exciting career job roles. Much like other creative industry sub-sectors, however pathways to work can be confusing. This partnership with Here East and the industry partners, Into Games and Games Anglia will provide participants with roadmaps for how to unlock the great and many opportunities that exist within Gaming. The immersive training will connect with inspirational speakers and practical masterclasses and signpost to a range of job roles. At the Good Growth Hub, we are on hand to offer ongoing support for non-linear career paths. Industry Insights #GamingEdition is one of the inaugural programmes that we are running and are excited to be partnering with Here East to help bridge and connect local talent with local jobs in an evolving sector.’

Michelle May, Director of Inclusive Growth, Education and Skills, London Legacy Development Corporation comments:

‘The LLDC is committed to ensuring that diverse, local talent has access to the exciting career opportunities at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This first collaboration between the Good Growth Hub and Here East will offer local young people an insight into Esports, a key growth sector making Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park its home. We hope to announce many more collaborations of this kind with Here East, and our other Park partners including East Bank in the coming weeks and months.’

More information about application can be found here.