- 11th April 2025
- Back to All News
Our Work and Health Programme has helped over 21,000 people across our nine boroughs to either find work, training, or taken them closer to the job market.
While the programme is no longer taking referrals, our employment support team is working hard with our delivery partners to ensure people on the programme are getting the best support possible to find long-term work they enjoy.
This year already our partners have organised over 35 events and workshops to help people find work, and many more activities are planned.
One of the thousands of people who have been helped to find work and transform their lives, is Nick from Greenwich, who joined the Work and Health Programme in March 2024, facing an abrupt career change prompted by health issues. Nick was supported by Greenwich Local Labour and Business (GLLaB) who deliver our Work and Health Programme in Greenwich.
How Nick nailed his career change*
1. Rebuilding confidence
Having built a successful career in the retail industry, Nick’s forced career change due to health issues was not easy. It affected his confidence, but he was determined to rebuild his life.
Nick joined the Local London Work and Health programme and quickly received vital support from the team’s health specialists who guided him through the emotional and practical challenges posed by his health changes. This helped him adapt and foster a renewed sense of self-belief.
2. Being open to opportunities
The Work and Health Programme team referred him onto a Level 1 Digital Skills course at Lewisham College. This proved pivotal. He embraced the learning experience, excelling in the course to the extent that his tutor encouraged him to pursue a higher-level course. To facilitate his learning, partners at Greenwich’s GLLaB team provided him with a laptop, enabling him to practice at home.
3. Not giving up
It wasn’t long before Nick showed an interest in an ‘Assembly Technician’ apprenticeship. Nick actively engaged in CV reviews and mock interview sessions. His enthusiasm was evident, and his confidence grew daily. Despite his efforts, he was unsuccessful. But Nick did not give up.
Nick continued to engage with the programme’s work club regularly, receiving support with job searches, CV reviews, and interview preparation. He also participated in recruitment sessions run by the programme, meeting with potential employers both in group settings and one-to-one sessions.
4. Getting out and meeting employers
One of the defining moments in his journey was attending the annual GLLaB jobs fair. This event gave him the chance to meet prospective employers and network with key industry contacts. Notably, he met the local Mayor and this lifted his spirits.
During the event, Nick connected with a recruitment agency offering ‘Manufacturing Operator’ roles. The position involved a high level of technical skill and precision assembling mechanical and electro-mechanical sub-sea and land-based telecommunications equipment. This appealed to Nick and put himself forward to attend an assessment. His enthusiasm and potential shone, and was offered an interview.
5. Making the most of all the support available
With the support of the Work and Health programme’s employer engagement team, Nick took onboard the one-to-one tailored interview preparation. This meant he aced the interview and was offered the job!
To ensure he was work-ready, the programme provided travel-to-work expenses and high street vouchers to purchase work attire.
Since starting his new role some months ago, Nick has been thriving. He is enjoying working with his hands, and methodically assembling complex items.
The Power of Tailored Support
Nick’s key worker at GLLAB said “Nick’s journey is a testament to his perseverance, resilience, and the power of tailored support. From navigating setbacks to embracing new learning opportunities, he has not only secured employment but also regained his confidence, self-belief, and passion for work. His ability to transition from a 20-year career in retail management to a hands-on technical role demonstrates his adaptability and commitment to personal growth.”
Find out more
Find out more about our Employment Support Programmes
*Name changed.
We recently hosted the second in a series of webinars designed to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses in London to find and develop existing talent.
Over 70 people joined the online session which focused on Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), an initiative helping employers bridge skills gaps while providing jobseekers with essential training and employment opportunities.
Subheading
We recently hosted the second in a series of webinars designed to support micro, small and medium-sized businesses in London to find and develop existing talent.
Over 70 people joined the online session which focused on Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), an initiative helping employers bridge skills gaps while providing jobseekers with essential training and employment opportunities.
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The event was highly interactive. Attendees from businesses across London, public sector and education partners posed live questions to a panel of experts representing all perspectives of this collaborative approach to addressing employers’ skills needs, including:
- Roy Pearce and Lauren Rogers from L&Q, a leading housing provider, shared their perspective on using SWAPs to address skills shortages and enhance social impact in their business.
- Divine Bonsu, who joined L&Q through SWAPs, provided a first-hand account of her journey, offering valuable insights into how the programme has shaped her career.
- Adrian Gabriel-Lovell, Operations Manager, and Abigail Fernandes, Employer and Partnership Manager from Jobcentre Plus who explained how SWAPs connect jobseekers with training providers and helps employers to create direct pathways into work.
- Paul Mason Hughes, Community and Partnerships Manager at New City College, discussed how educational institutions can collaborate with employers to ensure training aligns with industry needs.
- Cathy Back, LSIP Employer Engagement at Local London, outlined how employers and training providers are addressing local skills gaps through SWAPs and other initiatives.
“It was an excellent webinar. My knowledge of SWAPs has increased, and it was great to hear the success stories of the SWAP” commented one attendee after the event.
Watch the webinar
The webinar was delivered as part of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), a pan-London strategy funded by the Department for Education and delivered by Business LDN in collaboration with London’s four sub-regional partnerships (SRPs): Local London, South London Partnership (SLP), Central London Forward (CLF), and West London Alliance (WLA).
The London LSIP aims to create employer-led training initiatives that address workforce development needs across the capital.
Sign up to the next event in the series
- 1-2pm
- 26 February 2025
Join South London Partnerships and South London Careers Hub to explore: How do we give young people meaningful experiences of the world of work and inspire the next generation? Book your place at the next FREE webinar in the series.
Sign up to the next event in the series
For more information on upcoming webinars and workforce development initiatives, explore our website or get in touch with lsip.locallondon@redbridge.gov.uk if you would like access to the webinar recording.
Discover our latest newsletter and Skills Special www.local.london/news/newsletter
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Local London school, King’s Oak in Greenwich received excellent feedback from Ofsted following a visit in November 2024.
The national education and skills inspector was impressed with the school’s excellence across the board, providing specialist support for young people in years 7 to 11 with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
As a school highly engaged with our Careers Hub, we were delighted that the careers education programme received praise for showcasing the range of pathways and preparing students for life after they leave school.
(Pictured above: student from King’s Oak School engaging with Barking and Dagenham College at one of our events focussed on creative and digital careers)
Working with mainstream and specialist schools across nine boroughs north and south of the river, we recognise the commitment it takes from within and outside the school to create top-tier careers education programmes.
From headteachers, to careers leaders, external advisors and local businesses, it takes a community of people working together to deliver meaningful careers programmes that empower young people to make the best choices for themselves.
The school has implemented a well-designed careers programme….so that pupils have the best possible chance of success.
The unusually extensive and appreciative Ofsted comment relating specifically to careers education at King’s Oak School noted:
‘The school has implemented a well-designed careers programme. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for the challenges that they may face when they become adults. The school supports pupils to explore the different options available. Pupils develop positive attitudes that will help them cope with the demands of employment, further education or training. Leaders work closely with local colleges so that the pupils have the best possible chance of success.’ Ofsted visit November 2024
Stephen O’Leary, Interim Director of Local London said “Our team have thoroughly enjoy working with staff at the school, especially Howard Shearing the careers lead. King’s Oak’s continuous engagement with the Careers Hub has been greatly appreciated. They’ve welcomed and worked with us to develop ideas.
On behalf of the team at Local London, I would like to say huge congratulations to the school’s team, and also to the Careers Adviser, Simon Connolly, provided by the Royal Borough of Greenwich who has provided exceptional support to the school. This positive feedback from Ofsted is a fabulous reflection what partnership working can achieve.”
Howard Shearing, Head of Careers at King’s Oak School commented ‘We certainly could not have achieved where we are careers-wise without the Careers Hub’s support and help over the last few years in bringing it all together.”
We would also like to acknowledge the following people at King’s Oak School whose commitment have created such an outstanding example of brilliant careers education:
- Mr Meic Griffiths – Executive Headteacher.
- Mrs Jill Smith – Head of School.
- Mr Jim Spark – Head of Achievement, Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
Can we help your school deliver great careers advice?
As well as matching people from the business world with schools to enhance class-room learning, our team work with school staff to reach and exceed national standards for careers education.
If you are a school or business wanting to work with the Local London Careers Hub please contact us on careershub.east@redbridge.gov.uk or find out more about what we do here www.local.london/what-we-do/programmes/careers-hub
Our team’s work is made possible with funding from the Careers and Enterprise Company, The Mayor of London, and UKSPF.
The successful Local London E-business programme that helped around 3,000 micro, small and medium-sized businesses in our nine boroughs to become more digitally-savvy and resilient has now been extended across London.
Born in Greenwich, we supported the programme to grow across our sub-region. Now, with UKSPF funding, two of the delivery partners in the successful Local London E-business programme are using their expertise to help even more businesses.
Enterprise Enfield and South East Enterprise are part of a consortium of seven business support organisations making the free business-saving programme available across the whole of London.
Launched in October 2024, the new LONDON E-Business Support Programme will continue to provide free expert advice to SMEs to help them make better use of online marketing and digital tools and technology to reduce costs and increase business growth.
Helping local artisan craft content as beautiful as her jewels
Eunice, founder of Woolwich-based Meitam, which creates rare one-off handcrafted jewellery and art pieces has attended social media workshops with South East Enterprise as well as training in SEO, content creation, video production, and digital marketing.
Totally essential for any small business
E-business support from South East Enterprise has helped Eunice develop a strong online presence and a more robust business. Armed with a better understanding of digital tools and their use, Eunice is driving her business forward.
She said “If it wasn’t for South East Enterprise I would not have any social media presence at all. I have learnt so much from their courses and my one-to-one sessions. The E-Business Programme is invaluable and totally essential for any small business.”
Find out more: www.businessforlondon.co.uk
Read more news about the Local London E-business Programme.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Last month we joined South East Enterprise and the Royal Borough of Greenwich to celebrate some of the fabulous SMEs that have been helped by our FREE E-Business programme in Greenwich.
There is plenty to celebrate! In Greenwich the e-business programme run by South East Enterprise has helped local businesses:
- Increase revenue by £5.8 million (combined)
- Create 122 jobs
- Safeguard over 400 jobs
The event was opened by Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Council, who highlighted the importance of E-Business in an increasingly online world and the achievements of the E-Business Programme.
Cllr Okereke said “We are particularly proud that the E-Business programme was developed and started in Greenwich in 2014 and has been delivering successfully since then. Online trading and E-Business know-how will be even more important within the context of the economic uncertainty ahead due to the ongoing energy crisis and cost of living crisis and I am pleased that we are doing all we can to help prepare our local businesses for the challenges that lie ahead.”
Sarah Murray, Director of Local London, spoke about how the programme, which is being run by South East Enterprise, Enterprise Enfield and Newham College, is helping hundreds of SMEs become more resilient and successful. “Over 99% of businesses in this part of London are small businesses. These are employers and livelihoods for many people, so supporting them is hugely important. Thanks to the expertise of Tony Goldstein and his digital business advisors at South East Enterprise we are seeing more and more brilliant small businesses in Greenwich flourishing.”
Cllr Okereke and Sarah Murray with Tony Goldstein at the celebration event.
Tony Goldstein from South East Enterprise explained how the programme, which was first piloted in Greenwich, had itself grown and was supporting small businesses in Greenwich and beyond. “We knew back in 2014 when we developed the E-Business programme for Royal Greenwich just how important it is for small businesses to understand digital in order to develop and grow and we have seen so many of our businesses prosper as a result of our support. We are particularly proud that our E-Business programme is now enjoying success across the Local London sub-region in 7 other boroughs.”
Melissa Bruscoli and Sara Battiston from The London Leather Workshop
SME founders Melissa Bruscoli and Sara Battiston from The London Leather Workshop in Greenwich shared insights into their learning and experience on the programme.
During the evening guests, including around 100 local business owners and employees, were entertained by students from the London College of Performing Arts whilst they networked with local businesses and stakeholders and explored an exhibition made by and featuring a number of E-Business Programme success stories.
About the E-business programme
Across our boroughs over 1,100 businesses have signed up to the E-business programme, and this number is growing each day. Our fully funded programme is free to business owners and has safeguarded over 750 local jobs, in fashion, translation and photography businesses to cafes and more.
Discover the E-business programme near you
From getting online or learning how to use Microsoft Word, to developing an online advertising campaign, our expert providers are ready to help small and medium sized businesses:
Businesses in Enfield, Redbridge and Waltham Forest should contact Enterprise Enfield. Find out more.
Businesses in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Newham should contact Newham College of Further Education. Find out more.
Businesses in Bexley and Greenwich should contact South East Enterprise. Find out more.
Latest news:
Read more news about the E-business programme and the local businesses we’re helping.
Our E-business programme is helping ever more businesses across our boroughs north and south of the river.
Free to business owners, our fully-funded programme is designed to help SMEs grasp online software and technology to help grow their enterprises.
From simply getting online to delving into the intricacies of improving how you rank in online searches (SEO), the programme delivered by South East Enterprise, Enterprise Enfield and Newham College is helping hundreds of small businesses get stronger and reach more customers.
To date it over 1,100 businesses have signed up to the programme, which has safeguarded over 750 local jobs, in fashion, translation and photography businesses to cafes and more.
Digital caffeine-shot for Bob’s Your Uncle Coffee
One of the businesses helped by South East Enterprise is Greenwich-based Bob’s Your Uncle Coffee, an independent coffee shop with a branch in Eltham and one in Croydon. Owned by partners Andy and Adrien, Bob’s serves top-notch coffee, delicious brunches and other quality dishes alongside sweet treats which are hard to resist.
The pair were helped to improve the café’s online presence using social media and website marketing. A key element was showing Adrien what to do to get the website appearing in online searches, the site was instantly picked up by Google. This allowed people to find the website which now ranks organically on search engines.
Adrien also attended one of South East Enterprise’s workshops to learn how to better engage with the local community and build a brand presence as well as a Wix website workshop.
Co-owner Adrien said “The support we received from South East Enterprise has been very useful and helped us understand how having a strong online presence can help our customers find us and really boost our business.”
Thanks to the programme, Bob’s your Uncle Coffee has created 11 jobs and safeguarded another 29.
The owners now have a digital action plan and a clear idea of the way forward. Search engine ranking and building online communities is now properly enabled and the job of developing the business can start in earnest.
Discover the E-business programme near you
Local London have appointed 3 expert providers to deliver the programme:
Enterprise Enfield deliver our e-business programme for businesses in Enfield, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
Find out more.
Newham College of Further Education run our e-business programme for businesses in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Newham.
Find out more.
South East Enterprise support businesses with the E-business programme in Bexley and Greenwich.
Find out more.
Latest news:
Read more news about the E-business programme and the local businesses we’re helping.
An exciting new partnership has been launched that aims to make the Royal Borough of Greenwich one of the most digitally connected areas in the country.
A new company, Digital Greenwich Connect Ltd, has been incorporated to design, build, maintain, and commercialise a 21 km full-fibre, gigabit-capable network infrastructure.
The venture was formally launched by Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, on 23 February, at an event at Woolwich Works in south-east London.
The new digital highway is a £2m joint venture between DG Cities, an innovation company set up and owned by Greenwich Council, and full-fibre provider ITS Technology Group. Each company has invested £1m into the programme.
This joint venture showcases a new model for a highly connected world, with the ambition to drive a modern, ethical and sustainable regional economy that allows every business and person to connect and thrive.
Digital Greenwich Connect will substantially improve connectivity in the area, at an affordable price, while enabling public service transformation and an improvement in digital skills. This aligns to the Council’s ambitious new corporate strategy: ‘Our Greenwich’.
Innovative new deployment techniques are being used as part of the network, minimising the impact on the environment and on local residents and transport users, utilising existing public infrastructure wherever possible. Internet service providers using the network will be able to offer speeds of 1,000mbps and beyond, providing a highly reliable service for businesses, public services and residents.
Sarah Murray, Director of Local London said “Having provided this venture with over £1m funding from the GLA and supported with guidance on financial and contractual matters, we are delighted to see the launch of this hugely exciting initiative which will support business and service development in this key strategic growth area. Building on this successful launch, our digital connectivity team is working to stimulate digital investment further across the borough and in the wider sub-region.”
Councillor Anthony Okereke said “This is one of a number of innovative steps we are taking to ensure our residents and businesses have access to fast, reliable and affordable digital connectivity and to support the delivery of modern Council services. It underpins our ambition for our communities set out in ‘Our Greenwich’ and reinforces our position as a forward-thinking, innovative council.”
Cllr Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, at the launch of Digital Greenwich Connect Ltd.
In its initial launch phase, the network will cover a 21km area within Woolwich, with further expansion planned. It will provide a full-fibre, ultrafast, gigabit-capable network infrastructure and will equip businesses, schools, residents and students with access to internet speeds that underpin modern working and modern living.
It is a true area wide, inclusive approach, for residential and business users. It has been designed to ensure that social housing and community centres are included in the strategy, so that those on the front line of providing support and care in the community will not be held back by connectivity issues.
Daren Baythorpe, CEO of ITS Technology Group said “I’m delighted that we’re launching Digital Greenwich Connect and showing the power of collaboration through the public and private sector. It’s about local government and technology companies working together, deploying the most secure and resilient network in Greater London.
“Fast, reliable connectivity is vital to businesses, attracting investment, supporting innovation and improving services for local residents – particularly as many more people now rely on high-speed broadband to work at home. Partnerships like these can really accelerate access to critical internet and gigabit capable speeds for both businesses and residents, but also give value back to communities.”
Trevor Dorling, Managing Director DG Cities commented “Today is the culmination of many years’ work to ensure that Greenwich has the digital infrastructure that is essential to a modern economy – one that reflects the needs and aspirations of businesses and residents, and supports the delivery of the next generation of public services. We are delighted to be a partner in this joint venture, which brings together DG Cities’ expertise in citywide, people-centred innovation and ITS’s excellent track record in building and managing fibre networks.”
Find out more about Digital Greenwich Connect
Find out more about our digital investment work improving online connectivity in the sub-region.
Local London’s E-business programme has been helping hundreds of SMEs grow using digital tools.
Our E-business programme is successfully helping small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) become more resilient and grow by using digital platforms and software.
Expert E-business Advisors work with business owners and staff to develop a bespoke programme that suits the business’s needs. Since launching in 2021 we have supported businesses in Local London boroughs put over 600 business support plans in place.
One of the many SMEs who have benefitted from the E-business programme is Greenwich-based Friendly Forces Courses, who provide wood working and carpentry courses.
Friendly Forces Courses sand down online skills
Richard Wagner the director who is originally from the USA and based in Greenwich learned his skill of wood working and carpentry in the States when he was a teenager. Wanting to share his knowledge and passion, he started the company last year.
The business fully relies on digital marketing to attract customers, so it was key for Richard to make sure that his online skills were as smooth as his sanding. He got in touch with Local London’s free E-business programme designed for SME’s wanting to succeed in the digital age.
Richard was partnered with Adiel Khan E-business Advisor at South East Enterprise who deliver Local London’s free E-business programme to businesses in Greenwich and Bexley.
Adiel Khan explains what happened next “We carried out an initial audit to understand the business and strategize a plan for digital marketing.
One of Richard’s concerns was that all the business was coming through third party platforms and that he had to pay a substantial amount to the platform whenever he got a customer from them.
A potential risk was if the business is not at the top of OBBY listings (a marketplace specifically for arts and crafts teachers and students to find the best courses and workshops). The customer rate will drop drastically, effectively shutting down the revenue stream very quickly.
Together, we looked at ways Richard could be more in control of his digital marketing at the same time reducing the risk to the business by having a strategy that he could develop around the business and build on over time.
We talked about using the Friendly Forces Courses website more to drive customers direct to the business and building the brand on social media. We also looked at improving search engine ranking with keywords and using Google Ads to drive traffic.
We discussed driving awareness through E-mail marketing and online promotion strategies. I advised Richard to use Google Console and Google Analytics to keep track of its digital performance.
Richard is very excited about the opportunities available to him to promote the business online on his own and not be reliant on third party referrals and importantly reducing the risk to the business. I know he has lots of ideas to take forward and can always come back to us or look at one of our courses to take his business to the next level if he wishes.”
Richard Wagner, Director of Friendly Forces Courses, Greenwich said “It’s been a joy working with Adiel and carving out a strong digital plan for promoting our courses. Learning is always exciting. In much the same way as we offer different levels of wood and resin-work courses, I have been taken through digital marketing in a way that makes sense to me and my business now, with knowledge I can build on.
I’m excited to tell more people about getting creative with wood, whether they want to make their own bread board or resin-topped table. I’m sure this E-business programme could help lots more businesses become better at marketing themselves.”
Find out more about the E-business programme
Contact our partners to find out about the E-business programme and current vacancies in your area:
- Enterprise Enfield who deliver the programme to businesses in Enfield, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
- Newham College who deliver the programme to businesses in Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Newham.
- South East Enterprise who deliver the programme to businesses in Bexley and Greenwich.
Hundreds of small and medium sized businesses are signing up to receive free support from Local London’s E-business programme to help them grow in an online age.
Set up in 2021, our E-business programme helps SME businesses become more resilient and flourish by using digital platforms and software to grow their business. Business owners and their staff work with an expert E-business advisor to develop a bespoke programme that suits the business’s needs.
The programme has already been hugely successful in helping SMEs from many different sectors across eight Local London boroughs to market themselves and streamline processes.
One of the numerous businesses benefitting from the E-business programme is Lexis Interpreting & Translation Services, based in Greenwich.
Learning the language of digital
Lexis Interpreting & Translation Services provides interpretation and translation services to and from English, Spanish (Latam) and Portuguese (Brazil) for public services (including police, Home Office and Courts) and for businesses.
Carolina Fernandez, the owner of Lexis Interpreting & Translation, approached the E-business programme wanting to attract private businesses to her services and was unsure how to achieve this successfully.
Adiel Khan, E-business Advisor said “Following the initial audit, we gained a better understanding of where the business currently stands digitally. We established that the business is not taking advantage of any of the free tools available for businesses and lacks any digital presence online.”
The business currently relies on word of mouth and the regular business from the local police as well as police forces in other cities and the Home Office which leads to advocacy work.
Adiel added “We also looked at the potential market from businesses searching for a professional interpreter online and discovered there was high demand and a huge market for Carolina to tap into.
Following our initial meeting we created an action plan together which covered a number of areas to address within the business. We are at the start of our journey and progress will be ongoing as we help Carolina to develop an online presence and grow her business.
I strongly advised Carolina to get a website for her business. In fact, it is imperative that her business has a website – no business can afford to be without one in 2022! Most potential clients would expect to find one and that it would be a base to drive the traffic from social media channels towards.
Understandably, Carolina was concerned about the cost of setting up a website. We recommended Carolina attends our workshops on creating a website using Wix, as well as our Instagram and LinkedIn training which will help her make the most of low and no-cost channels appropriate to her business.
Although it is early days working with Carolina and Lexis Interpreting & Translation Services, there is huge untapped potential for her business if she adopts digital tools and embraces these new practices. I’m looking forward to working with her to bring her up to speed with current business methods and report on progress.”
Carolina Fernandez, owner and founder of Lexis Interpreting & Translation Services, commented “I approached the E-business service as I really wanted to work with more private business clients. I was not sure where to start and how to best use all these social media channels to attract direct customers to the service. As a small business, cost has deterred me from pursuing further, so I jumped at the opportunity of obtaining free training in the areas I need the most help with.
I am very happy that South East Enterprise are able to help me to understand and make the most of all the low-cost options available. I am excited to see the growth of Lexis Interpreting & Translation with the invaluable support of the E-business programme. To any business owners wondering should I see how this E-business Training could help me? I’d say ‘Si!’ – its free and helping me get fluent in online marketing which is great for my business.”
Get involved with the E-business programme
Operating across eight of our member boroughs, our delivery partners are working closely with local authorities and stakeholders to reach businesses and are recruiting staff to expand the programme.
Find out more about the programme in your area:
- Enterprise Enfield who deliver the programme to businesses in Enfield, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
- Newham College who deliver the programme to businesses in Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Newham.
- South East Enterprise who deliver the programme to businesses in Bexley and Greenwich.
MSQ Partners, a leading UK marketing communications group, has been appointed to deliver wide-ranging communications support to the Thames Estuary.
The Group will support an ambitious vision to unlock the potential of the Thames Estuary region – which includes parts of London, Essex and Kent.
The long-term goal is to generate thousands of new jobs; hundreds of new houses; new transport and digital infrastructure and contribute billions of pounds to the economy by 2050.
The Government has set up a dedicated Thames Estuary Growth Board to drive this work forward and appointed Kate Willard, as Thames Estuary Envoy, to lead it.
Ahead of publication of the Board’s first plan later this year, MSQ Partners have been appointed to deliver wide-ranging communications support to generate domestic and international interest in the region to encourage investment and support.
Their commission, following a competitive tendering exercise, includes provision of campaign development, media relations and content, website development, film making and brand design. The work will be provided through a joined-up team, bringing together two of MSQ’s specialist agency capabilities – Lloyd Northover and Smarts.
Kate Willard, Thames Estuary Envoy, said: “We are thrilled to appoint MSQ. Communicating our vision for the Estuary and generating momentum around our place-making story will be vital from the outset. MSQ pitched a high-quality proposal to us demonstrating a razor-sharp understanding of our brief backed up by a strong technical offer and a real desire to deliver a brilliant project. They will be an excellent partner to the Thames Estuary.”
Simon Ward, the project lead at MSQ (and CEO of Lloyd Northover), said: “The work that the Thames Estuary Growth Board is planning is ambitious, bold and will deliver high impact results for the area. We are proud to be part of the work that helps achieve their goals. We have a history of taking on – and delivering on – complex, multi-stakeholder briefs, and we’re excited to put our skills into practice with Thames Estuary.”