STEP 14

12-month paid traineeships for young East Londoners to step into careers in the creative & cultural sectors

• Who participates?

  Eligibility:

  • Aged 18-30 (from application date)

  • Living in the London boroughs of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham or Waltham Forest.

  • With priority given to those who also went to school or college in one of these four boroughs.

  We are particularly interested in hearing from young people from the global majority, from low-income backgrounds, and those who identify as Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent, and it is really important to us that there are no barriers to anyone applying for opportunities at Good Growth Hub.

  Please let us know if you have any access requirements and/or would like to submit your application in a different format by contacting goodgrowthhub@anewdirection.org.uk

  Selection process:

  Our application selection criteria prioritises those who have some creative education, skills or working experience, in need of a guided programme such as STEP to enable them to experience entry and junior-level roles, so they may continue into sustainable and long-term careers in the creative and cultural industry.

  If you don't meet all of the criteria for our STEP 14 roles ,we still encourage you to apply. However, if you don't feel ready for this round we would encourage you to take part in our Creative Connect career coaching sessions, our pre-employment skills training courses and events.

• Key dates

  • Applications close: Sunday 12 July 2026
  • STEP 14 Application Support Sessions (Online via Zoom): Tues 23 June, 1-2pm and Tues 7 July, 1-2pm

  • Selection day for participants: Tuesday 28 July 2026

  • Programme induction: Monday 7 September 2026

  • Programme placements: w/c 14 September 2026 – 2027*

  *All trainees must be able to commit to the duration of the programme and be available for the selection day

• Who supports the programme

  Employers offering placements for STEP 14 include:

  • UCL East

  • Bow Arts

  • Sadler's Wells

  • UAL: London College of Fashion

  Participants will also work closely with the Good Growth Hub's in-house team of friendly Programme Officers and facilitators as we deliver regular training in partnership with industry experts, including careers and employability workshops, mentoring and coaching and bespoke professional development.

• STEP Job Descriptions

  The roles on offer for STEP 14 are:

  • Bow Arts – Gallery Assistant

  • Sadler’s Wells – Breakin’ Conventions Trainee

  • Sadler’s Wells – Development Trainee

  • Sadler’s Wells – Learning and Engagement Trainee

  • Sadler’s Wells – Marketing and Social Media Trainee

  • UCL East – Community Engagement and Public Art Assistant

  • UCL East – Schools Engagement Assistant

  • UAL: London College of Fashion – Learning Technology: Content Production

  • UAL: London College of Fashion – Video Content Production Trainee

• Find out more about STEP

  STEP is delivered by the Good Growth Hub – operated by the Employment & Skills team of award-winning London-based creative youth charity A New Direction. Good Growth Hub and its activities are funded by the London Legacy Development Cooperation (LLDC) with investment from the Foundation for Future London, through the East Bank Partnerships’ New Talent Future Leaders programme.

  STEP first launched in 2017 and has had 14 intakes to date with over 150 trainees. If you'd like to support or partner with the programme, get in touch by emailing goodgrowthhub@anewdirection.org.uk

• Status
  Recruiting participants
• Dates

  Recruiting participants

• Eligibility

  Aged 18-30, Living & educated in East London

• Number of Places

  9