Olympic Park security guards pass NVQ course with flying colours

The guards, half of whom were recruited from the local area, have taken the opportunity provided by the Olympic Delivery Authority’s guarding contractor to gain a professional security qualification and enhance their long term employment prospects.

This training is one of a range of courses established as part of the ODA’s ‘jobs, skills, futures’ strategy to help people working on the Olympic Park develop their skills and help local people gain to work on this and other construction sites. One in ten of the 6,277-strong Olympic Park workforce is in some kind of training and already nearly 2,500 people have passed through the National Skills Academy at the new Plant Training Centre and new Thames House Training Centre in Newham set up to deliver construction training.

Pictures of the security guards graduating at a ceremony on site this week are available at: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr134016481

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'The "big build" of the venues and infrastructure for London 2012 is on track and already leaving a long-term jobs and skills legacy for east London. We appointed a security guarding contractor committed to recruiting people locally and helping their staff gain the qualifications and experience to build a career in the industry. I congratulate each member of our security guarding team for achieving this qualification and for their hard work on the Olympic Park.'

Jerry Thompson and Everest Mgbuji are two of the newly qualified Security Officers. Everest said: 'The course was tough but taught me a lot about my job. Not just in terms of security, but also health and safety.'

Jerry said. ‘Having a qualification helps you to gradually build up your career from officer to manager ­and maybe to managing director.'

Everest added the qualification would encourage him to take up more training opportunities. 'The course gave me a clearer view of my job and how to deal with a range of situations and different people.'

The ‘Jobs, Skills, Futures’ strategy to boost the Olympic Park jobs and skills legacy includes:

• A jobs brokerage service, in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and the five Host Boroughs, that matches candidates living locally and elsewhere in the UK with Olympic Park job opportunities. Since May 2008, 750 jobs have been filled through the brokerage, which gives local people a 48 hours to access jobs before they are advertised more widely.  
• A National Skills Academy for Construction funded by ConstructionSkills, the Learning and Skills Council and the London Development Agency. This coordinates training across a range of providers, which now includes the Thames House Training Centre, in addition to a Plant Training Centre for people to get the skills needed to win work on the Olympic Park and continue their career development once in work.
• A Community and Trade Union Learning Centre run by Unionlearn has opened by the Olympic Park site, off Pudding Mill Lane, for site workers and members of the local community. It will provide free courses in literacy, numeracy and computer skills and lessons in how to write reports and job applications and supporting employees with dyslexia. As well as a free internet cafe open to all, the centre will host events with authors and sports personalities promoting learning. For more information visit: www.ctulearning.org.uk
• A commitment to an additional 250 apprenticeships to be created on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village partly through the inclusion of a specific requirement to take on apprentices in future contracts. This clause sets a target of three per cent for apprentices in the future workforce of projects currently being procured. Currently 150 apprentices have been recruited onto the project.
• A target of 2,250 trainees, apprenticeships and work placements working on the Olympic Park and Village, including a programme aimed at specifically at placing women into construction jobs.

Notes to editors:

• The ODA also published a document ‘Park people’ which includes examples of people working on the Park, which can be downloaded at: www.london2012.com/publications/jobs-skills-futures-park-people-january-2010.php
• A videoblog of one of the site workers about their experience working on the Park can be viewed at: http://www.london2012.com/videos/2010/park-people.php

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For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)20 3 2012 700.

The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.

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