Boat Race volunteers from Brent and Tower Hamlets try out new skills in advance of 2012 Games

Participants of a groundbreaking training programme linked to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games helped steward 250,000 people at the Boat Race on Saturday.

Ten Personal Best students from Brent and seven from Tower Hamlets worked as stewards directing crowds, offering information and helping with the general organisation of the event.

Personal Best is run by the London Development Agency and the Learning and Skills Council to help some of the city's most disadvantaged to improve their job prospects. It uses the excitement of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to promote training for an accredited volunteering qualification while also offering participants support into further volunteering, training or work.

Closer to the time, graduates will be offered an interview to become a volunteer at the 2012 Games while 10 of Games time volunteers will come from the national programme.

Personal Best is currently running in 11 boroughs and will begin to be rolled out London-wide in the Spring. So far, 15% of the 370 graduates from the programme have moved into jobs, 42% have taken up further training and 33% have opted for volunteering opportunities. In total, the programme is expected to benefit up to 20,000 Londoners.

Manny Lewis, Chief Executive of the London Development Agency, said:

"Personal Best is about giving people the skills and confidence to make that first step into the job market, training courses or into a volunteer placement. It is great to see that after only a few months on the programme participants are confident enough to use new skills at such a high profile event.

"We aim to reduce worklessness across London by 70,000 through the 2012 Games and Personal Best will play a big role in achieving this."

Mary Conneely, Learning and Skills Director of Regeneration, said:

"Personal Best is inspiring people to get back into education and training to gain the skills they need not just for the 2012 games, but also to achieve a qualification and employment in the longer term.  Events such as this give people the chance to gain practical experience, giving them additional confidence when looking for a job."

Giles Vardey, Chairman of BRCL, the Boat Race organisers:

"We were delighted to have had the support of the Personal Best participants from Brent and Tower Hamlets. They helped to make the Boat Race one of the most successful ever. Their training is focused on large scale events like the Boat Race which is one of the largest spectator events in the world and with 250,000 spectators visiting the volunteers were invaluable.

"We look forward to working with more Personal Best participants in the coming years as the programme develops across London in the run up to the 2012 Games."

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said:

"The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a once in a lifetime opportunity for London and Londoners and it is fantastic to see Personal Best graduates gaining further experience of working at major sporting events. Four and a half years out from the Games themselves, Personal Best is clearly helping to deliver our vision for increased employment and skills opportunities for Londoners."

Kerry Tweed, Director of Greater London Volunteering said:

"Opportunities like the Boat Race are an excellent example of volunteering and the benefits of the Personal Best programme: individuals from the community, using their skills and enthusiasm as volunteers to support events which bring people together."

-Ends-

For media enquiries, please contact Andreas Christophorou at the LDA Media Team on 020 7593 8444; for public enquiries, please call 020 7593 9000; for out of hours media enquiries, please call 07977 439 371.

Notes to editors

1. Personal Best is being funded by the LDA and the LSC. It is being supported by the London 2012 Organising Committee, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, JobCentre Plus, Greater London Volunteering and the 11 local authorities.
2. The LDA and LSC have developed the programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games based on the programme's success at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.
3. The 11 boroughs taking part in the first phases of Personal Best are Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets, Brent, Westminster, Southwark, Lambeth, Haringey and Croydon.
4. The Personal Best training includes health and safety, first - aid awareness, customer relations, computer skills and an appreciation of the Olympic spirit. Courses will be delivered by local colleges and training providers in the heart of communities. Participants also have the option of gaining a level one qualification in Event Volunteering.
5. The LDA is working with each local authority and volunteer sector partners to target participants from groups that face the biggest barriers to employment. Borough advisers are also employed to offer guidance on how to find work, gain further training and take part in local sport and community events to hone their skills.
6. Personal Best graduates will be guaranteed an interview to become a volunteer at Games time. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games has a target of taking 10% of Games-time volunteers from the national Personal Best programme. Recruitment for the Games time volunteer programme will begin in 2010.
7. The London Development Agency works to improve the quality of life for all Londoners and drive sustainable economic growth.