Growth Sector Forums & Business Networks
In Ealing’s Jobs and Skills Strategy, we have clearly defined our high growth that we want to invest and grow within the borough. These are:
• Creative and digital
• Green and circular economy
• Life sciences and innovation
We have also defined our established foundational sectors that already provide thousands of jobs for Ealing residents. These are:
• High street economy
• Health and social care
• Construction
Ealing Council are convening new forums to strengthen local business networks. We have convened new forums for each of our priority growth sectors, as well as platforms for our foundational sectors and wider business community. You can find out more about these networking opportunities below.
All forums are free to attend. If you would like to get involved in any of these forums, then please contact invest@ealing.gov.uk
Jobs and Skills Forum
This forum brings together a diverse group of stakeholders and partners to share knowledge, experience, and intelligence on: how a higher number of good jobs can be created across the borough’s seven towns, and to ensure those jobs are prioritised for Ealing residents through enhanced and joined-up career pathways.
This forum co-produced Ealing’s Jobs and Skills Strategy, and is supported by a number of sector specific forums, as set out below.
Creative and Digital Industries Forum
Ealing is home to c.3,000 creative businesses and has 9x more creative manufacturing spaces than the London average. Creative industries play a huge role in making Ealing the powerhouse of West London’s economy.
Ealing’s Creative Sector Forum is all about growing a thriving network of creatives to enable services, resources and knowledge to be exchanged across the sector. Comprising 50+ creative businesses and practitioners, this group meets quarterly. Come along to meet other industry leaders, learn about support for the sector and share your views on the future of creative industries in Ealing and beyond.
The forum is focused on 4 x key areas of delivery, as identified by forum members:
• Helping creative industries to benefit from local talent and create opportunities for young people in the sector
• Improving access to affordable and secure workspace and exhibition space for our creative industries
• Enabling innovation in our creative industries
• Promoting sustainable practices in our creative industries
Key initiatives being supported through this forum include:
• Ealing’s new creatives industries online directory, connecting businesses across the sector.
• Ealing’s new creative careers work experience programme, connecting local employers to young and diverse local talent.
• Promoting the film sector and local supply chain across West London.
• The Acton and Park Royal Creative Enterprise Zone, delivering targeted business support in one of London’s major creative clusters.
Life Sciences and Innovation Forum
West London is increasingly home to clusters of life sciences, research and innovation businesses. Since 2010, the innovation sector has grown by 43% in the region. New investment in the WestTech Corridor and high-tech industry and advanced manufacturing at Old Oak indicates this trend will continue. Ealing is well positioned to grow this sector, as the newest innovation asset in the WestTech Corridor.
Ealing Council and Imperial College London are convening Ealing’s new Sciences and Innovation Sector Forum to support the growth of this sector in the borough and beyond, and to connect our residents and businesses to opportunities in this sector.
The forum will launch in Spring 2025, bringing together key players in the industry including research and educational institutions, investors, developers, and policy makers.
Key initiatives that will be supported through this forum include:
• Helping the West Tech Corridor take root in North Acton and beyond, establishing Ealing as a key cluster for science and innovation.
• A new outreach initiative to build a strong local workforce pipeline and support local residents into careers in the sector.
Green Economy Forums
Ealing contributes to circa £644m to London’s low carbon, environmental and renewal energy market. It plays a vital role in London’s green economy which is already worth almost £50bn per annum, making it the largest green economy in the UK. As part of West Tech Corridor, Ealing’s green growth will help accelerate progress towards achieving London’s net zero target for 2030. Ealing would focus on the Industrial decarbonisation and clean tech as an overarching priority for the Green Economy growth sector forums.
Strategic Objectives of the Green Economy Forums:
• Grow the green economy across West London boroughs
• Accelerate green jobs and skills
• Nurture research and development to drive innovation in green technologies
• Active Travel and green infrastructure
• High Street and circular economy
Ealing will be a lead convener and forge strategic partnerships, prioritising delivery of the following four green economy sub-sectors:
There will be four sub-sectors forums or partnership groups.
• Industrial decarbonisation and retrofitting forum– Ealing Council is home to over 250 green businesses providing circa 4,600 jobs. The forum will collaborate with large industrial landlords within Ealing and form a partnership with West London industrial providers, specialised businesses and suppliers that cater to industrial sites and identify skills pathways.
• Modern food manufacturing and food-tech partnership – The food manufacturing sector employs circa 5,000 people in Ealing. The forum would support innovation and R& D opportunities. Initially, it will work with the existing cluster of businesses e.g. Southall and Park Royal.
• Low carbon freight and logistics forum – The forum will bring together estates investment strategies maximise opportunities for electric charging, alternative fuels, local supply chain, public sector fleets, and potentially tapping into innovation funding and pilot projects.
• Data centres partnership– Lead on the sub-regional skills provision and innovative energy solutions. Create strategic partnerships between academic partners and data centres.
The forums will launch in Summer and Autumn 2025, when we will update the key initiatives and deliverables for each Green Economy forums.
Ealing’s Construction Sector Partnership
The Ealing Construction Partnership, spearheaded by Ealing Council, is a collaborative initiative that brings together developers and support partners within the borough to address critical challenges in the construction sector. This group, comprising over 20 organisations, meets quarterly to engage in action planning, share best practice, and spotlight key projects. By focusing on issues such as recruitment, skills gaps, and retention, the partnership aims to create a robust and sustainable workforce for the construction industry in Ealing.
With the chair of the partnership being from O’Shea Developers, the initiative benefits from a community-driven approach, fostering stronger relationships and a sense of collective effort among all members.
Key partners include the Job Centre, which provides employment support and resources; Ingeus, known for its tailored employment services and training programs; the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which offers essential funding and training opportunities; Gement, a leader in upskilling and career support services; and West London College, which delivers comprehensive construction training through its state-of-the-art academy.
Additionally, several key partners are developers within the borough who face real challenges, making their involvement crucial to addressing the industry’s immediate needs. Through these collaborative efforts, the partnership is dedicated to fostering a skilled and resilient construction community.
The partnership also provides Ealing Council with valuable feedback from developers on how to improve the Section 106 (s106) process, making it more efficient and supportive. This open dialogue ensures that the council can better facilitate development projects and address the needs of the construction industry effectively
Ealing’s High Street Sector Forum
The Forum brings together business stakeholders across Ealing’s high streets and town centres.
Our mission is to help high street businesses across Ealing to prosper and to ensure that our high streets are places that people want to live, work and visit. We aim to celebrate the diversity our high streets and their offer, bringing people back to each of our seven towns.
We work with businesses, residents, community groups, and landowners. We are a proactive group that delivers tangible and innovative solutions for Ealing’s high streets. We have invested over £1m+ to date through the taskforce.
The Forum has 3 x key areas of delivery:
• Positive environment: Ensuring Ealing’s high streets are accessible, safe and clean. This includes initiatives to reduce littering and anti-social behaviour.
• Better for business: Supporting Ealing’s high street businesses to grow by providing support to recruit locally and navigate licensing and regulatory processes.
• Celebrating our high streets: Increasing footfall and spend on Ealing’s high streets through events and promotion.
Greenford Innovation Partnership
Ealing Council has initiated a new partnership to generate a new wave of business growth and local career opportunities in Greenford.
Greenford is home to almost 1,000 high-tech manufacturing jobs, 8x more specialised than the London average. As set out in Ealing’s Council Plan and Jobs and Skills Strategy, the council want to retain and expand these existing specialisms, to support business growth and job creation for local people.
The Greenford Innovation Partnership connects industries, landowners, schools, training providers, research institutions and other key stakeholders, to boost innovation and growth in sustainable manufacturing, logistics and other key sectors. Comprising 15+ stakeholders, this group meets quarterly.
Ealings Living Wage Action Group
Ealing became the first Living Wage Place in West London in Summer 2024, led by our Action Group that brings together over 20 individuals who are committed to growing the movement locally.
The London Living Wage rate is calculated to give workers in London and their families enough to afford the essentials and to save. Organisations that pay their staff this rate can become accredited and officially recognised.
The Action Group meets monthly and includes the Living Wage Foundation, Business Improvement Districts, West London Chambers, Citizens UK, Action West London, Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, University of West London, and local accredited organisations Belazu, Greener Ealing, Rolladome, Wellworking, and St Anselm’s Church.
Key initiatives delivered by this group include:
• Delivering our support and incentives programme to help more organisations become London Living Wage accredited.
• Increasing the number of London Living Wage accredited organisations in the borough.
• Uplifting the number of workers in the borough being paid the London Living Wage and above.
• Promoting the London Living Wage movement across the borough.
• Organising our annual Living Wage in Ealing awards.
