New research has revealed that Broadgate Connect, British Land’s employment and training partnership with East London Business Alliance (ELBA), has generated £10 million of economic value in its first decade.

Since 2012, Broadgate Connect has helped East Londoners gain fulfilling jobs and apprenticeships in and around British Land’s Broadgate campus, providing customers and suppliers with access to diverse local talent.

A Decade of Broadgate Connect evaluates the impact of the first decade and contains independent socio-economic impact research from consultants Hatch.
It explores how cross-sector collaboration has strengthened the local economy and built links between the local community and British Land customers – serving as a blueprint for delivering inclusive growth and long-lasting, positive social impact.

The partnership generated £8.9m of social value and £7.3m of fiscal value, which together with the £10m of economic value represents a 39:1 total return on investment.

The partnership also:

Connected 84 employers to a diverse local talent pipeline
Upskilled 839 East Londoners with 545 people supported into jobs, with two-thirds of all candidates being from the Global Majority, reflecting the diverse communities in the local boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets

Through ELBA’s long-term connections in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, Broadgate Connect can give campus customers and suppliers unique access to a diverse local talent pipeline, supporting both their sustained commercial success and social goals, alongside the provision of apprentices, mentoring and volunteering opportunities.
Broadgate Connect builds on British Land’s long history of creating lasting partnerships and engaging with the communities in and around its places and is delivered in line with its 2030 Sustainability Strategy: Greener Spaces, Thriving Places, Responsible Choices.

The full report can be found on British Land’s website here.

David Walker, Chief Operating Officer at British Land, said: “Broadgate Connect is a fantastic example of how we create a long-lasting, positive social impact across our places. Broadgate Connect shows the power of being nimble, pragmatic and collaborative, within a flexible framework.
“The beauty of the Broadgate Connect model is that it’s both locally tailored and replicable; a transferable framework for inclusive growth and in the current climate, inclusive employment partnerships are more important than ever. It also makes business sense, as we can support our customers to help them meet their recruitment needs. We hope that the evidence in this report encourages greater cross-sector collaboration to drive inclusive economic growth across the UK.”
Earlier this year, British Land launched a £25m Social Impact Fund, focused on education, employment and affordable space and comprising at least £15 million of cash contributions and £10 million worth of affordable space by 2030. This fund builds on over a decade of investment by British Land into the communities in which it operates.