Over recent years, Ealing Council has set itself ambitious targets to help get thousands of people into work and make the workplace fairer. And several big jobs milestones are being reached in the coming months.
Employment opportunities, and access to meaningful training, play a huge role in getting people into work and building careers. And, with the cost-of-living crisis of the past few years, the council’s priority of creating good jobs has never been more important.
New jobs and apprenticeships
By the end of March 2026, local employers are expected to have offered almost 11,000 new job opportunities across the borough. The total currently sits at 10,053 – already exceeding the council’s original target of 10,000.
The council and its partners have also helped set up 2,226 apprenticeships for local people. Some of these have been at the council, working in a variety of council services; and others through partnerships with local businesses. The council provides extra support to smaller businesses to recruit apprentices – not least by helping them to pay for training costs by gifting apprenticeship levy funding. Again, the council’s target (2,000) is going to be smashed: with more than 2,500 apprentices in placements by the end of March.
Read construction apprentice Junior’s story.
Helping residents overcome barriers
More than 7,000 residents who have faced the toughest barriers to employment – including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ex-offenders, and the long-term unemployed – have been supported into work.
Targeted programmes like supported internships for young people with SEND have contributed to these outcomes. Over the past 3 years, the council has helped 101 young people with SEND secure placements, by partnering with a diverse range of local education providers and employers. These placements are helping to bridge the gap between education and employment, creating pathways into the workforce.
Upskilling and building your confidence is often crucial in finding work, or growing your career. By the end of March, more than 12,000 qualifications and training programmes are expected to have been completed in the borough since 2022, with the council’s help. The figure currently stands at 9,839.
Training and learning
And by the end of April, 7 new learning zones will have opened, with one in each of the borough’s towns. The first of these new ‘one-stop-shops’ for training, skills, and community learning opened in 2022 in Northolt and additional zones have since opened in Southall, Acton, Hanwell, West Ealing, and Perivale, with Greenford to follow shortly.
Learn Ealing, the council’s adult learning service, has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, with 2 areas of their work marked as ‘outstanding’. That makes it the best performing service of its kind in west London.
Fair pay and sector growth
Nearly 1,000 people have received a pay rise as a result of their employer becoming accredited with the London Living Wage Foundation. The number of accredited employers in the borough has doubled since 2024, with further organisations currently going through the process.
Read Belazu employee Yamini’s story.
Meanwhile, 6 new industry forums have been established, bringing together employers to support growth and collaboration in key areas of the borough’s business life.
The 6 sectors chosen – creative and digital, green and circular economy, life sciences, construction, retail, and health and social care – are marked for future growth in the council’s jobs and skills strategy. The plan aims to ensure all residents can benefit from this expected growth, in a borough which is already the £11billion commercial engine of west London.
Making a difference
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “These results show the difference we can make when we work together with our partners and local employers. By refocusing our efforts on creating good jobs and opportunities within the borough, we have helped thousands of residents get employment and skills which are setting them up for life. We will continue to build on this progress and make sure our residents can benefit from a fairer, more inclusive economy.”
