A place of diversity, opportunity and growth
We’ve been working with partners for more than a decade to make Canada Water a place that benefits local people with a focus on social mobility.
This is done via a range of educational programmes such as Young Readers, employment partnerships including Canada Water Connect and supporting grassroots business talent via our Thrive partnership with charity Tree Shepherd.
This will continue now and long into the future.
Local educational initiatives
Our Young Readers partnership with the National Literacy Trust has been inspiring primary schoolchildren across Southwark to read for pleasure since 2012, working collaboratively with local schools. Extensive research shows that reading for pleasure improves children’s educational attainment and their life chances. Over 3,100 local young people have benefitted since 2012, with every child taking part in fun literacy events, where they choose new books to take home for free.
More than 2,000 students have directly benefited from our funding for Shaping Southwark’s Future with Construction Youth Trust since 2020. This partnership, which we helped get off the ground in 2018, aims to ensure that local young people benefit from the regeneration of their area, raising awareness of the many employment, skills and career development opportunities coming to Southwark.
Hundreds of students at Bacon’s College in Rotherhithe have benefitted from our partnership, which spans more than a decade. Initiatives include work experience, internships, apprenticeships and education programmes. Recently, London Bubble Theatre Company spent six weeks building confidence among at-risk students, culminating in visits to our offices for mock interviews.
It was a really valuable experience for our children. It helped them to think about reading positively and to be the owners of brand new book. Every time they came in and saw the books that had been laid out, there were gasps of excitement.”
Teacher, Alfred Salter Primary School
Vital employment partnerships
Over 550 people have benefitted from our skills and employment partnerships since 2020, including Canada Water Connect, which we launched in February 2023. Delivered with the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) and diverse local partners, this is connecting Southwark residents to life-changing employment and training opportunities.
With numerous construction opportunities and new businesses, restaurants and shops coming to the area, Canada Water Connect is working with partners to upskill residents facing barriers to employment.
Over 90 people have completed multiple professional training courses with partners including Southwark Construction Skills Centre and Southwark Works.
The Launch Group is running employability courses for Southwark jobseekers interested in construction, culminating with invitations to apply for live
job vacancies.
Bermondsey Community Kitchen is providing free catering training to local young people who are long-term unemployed.
Circle Collective is offering workshops, mentoring and work experience in its charity shops to young people experiencing a range of barriers.
We also support Big Local Works welfare and benefits clinics for people on their route to employment.
Supporting grassroots entrepreneurs
Around 200 Southwark-based startups and small businesses have grown through our Thrive partnership with charity Tree Shepherd since 2020 with 60+ benefitting in 2024 alone. Thrive provides affordable offices, meeting rooms and makerspace for local startups and small businesses, along with mentoring, training, business advice and monthly markets. The majority of Thrive market businesses are women-led and Black-led.
Once complete, Canada Water will offer over 120,000 sq ft of affordable workspace and shopping space at discounted rents for 10 years – enough for around 50 small shops and offices.
We hope to see some of the startups and small businesses currently growing at Thrive benefiting from these new opportunities. We also continue to explore ways to spend with SMEs and Southwark businesses, boosting local business growth.
