STEP 12

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

Our STEP programme returns for its 12th iteration with various new junior or entry-level roles in the creative and cultural industries, designed for young east Londoners aged 18-30 to land their first role in the industry.

You will be matched with one of our committed local employers to experience a junior role and get paid a London Living Wage or above salary over a 12-month training programme. Unlike a regular entry-level role, through this popular programme, you'll be supported in your development as you get your foot in the door, develop a range of skills and creative approaches, grow as part of a cohort of people with similar passions, and take part in our monthly professional development workshops.

We’ll also connect you with a specialist industry mentor, provide personal career coaching, and continue to support your creative employment journey as you graduate from the programme and join our wider community of local creatives.

Sectors in focus:

  • Fashion & Design⁣
  • Film, TV, Music, Performance and Broadcast
  • Advertising, Marketing, Publishing & Design

Select from 9 placements at BBC, It's Nice That, Hope & Glory, UAL: London College of Fashion, Electric Theatre Collective, Stylus, Ministry of Stories and Hospital Rooms. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view and download the job descriptions.

Apply by Sunday 30 March 2025, 5pm

Information & Application support

STEP Information Sessions will take place online on Wednesday 12 & 26 March 2025. Register below.

Register for STEP 12 Information Sessions

You can also book a session with our Creative Connect application and careers guidance service, taking place weekly in-person or online.

  • 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 12 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 30 March 2025, 5pm
    • STEP 12 Information Sessions: Wednesday 12 & 26 March 2025
    • Selection day for participants: Tuesday 8 April 2025
    • Programme induction: Wednesday 23 - Friday 25 April 2025
    • Programme placements: w/c 28 April 2025 - 2026*

    *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 12 include:

    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 12 are:

  • 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.

    Previous programme employment or curriculum facilitation partners include: London College of Fashion, East London Dance, Foundation for Future London, NTS, Artichoke, Rosetta Arts, Pooja Sitpura (Young People’s Programmer, National Theatre) Juliette Larthe (Founder, Prettybird), Thristian (Creative Director, Worldwide FM) Leyla Tahir (Marketing Manager, Tate), Navjot Mangat (Interpretation Manger, V&A East), Catherine Ince (Chief Curator, V&A East) Georgia Catt (Producer, BBC Podcasts), Dramatic Resources, Richard Cross (Programming Manager, Sadler’s Wells), Olivia Twist (Illustrator and UAL Lecturer), Haja Fanta (Creative Producer), among others.

    STEP first launched in 2017 and has had 11 intakes to date. If you'd like to support or partner with the programme, get in touch by emailing goodgrowthhub@anewdirection.org.uk