LDA helps more than 8 000 Londoners benefit from 2012 opportunities

Thousands of Londoners are already benefiting from 2012 Games coming to London through support from the London Development Agency.

These achievements are summarised in "Employment and Skills Update for 2012" - looking at the progress made over the past 18 months to secure new jobs, training, business and sporting opportunities for Londoners.

With several major construction projects underway or imminent, the Games are already opening up opportunities for Londoners who have been out of work. These opportunities will continue right through to 2012 and beyond as the regeneration of east London built around the Games.

Peter Rogers, Chief Executive of the LDA, said: "The LDA is dedicated to creating a lasting Olympic legacy which will improve the quality of life for Londoners and economic growth in the capital. Our programmes have been focused on ensuring as many people as possible are in a position to benefit from the employment, business and sporting opportunities linked to the 2012 Games. We are delivering a legacy now for London."

The achievements so far include:

• The Opportunities Fund which helped more than 1,100 people to receive employment support and delivered almost 800 training places.
• Personal Best volunteer programme has benefited almost 900 people so far. Out of the 380 people that have finished phase one, 19% are in employment, 40% are in further education and 21% have since participated in volunteering.
• Winter of Sport enabled nearly 3,000 people to become more active through 56 new after school clubs and 25 disability sports projects.
• London Employer Accord which has helped 300 previously unemployed people find work.
• Around 2,400 people from the East London host boroughs have received assistance in finding employment, with 470 of these going on to secure work as a direct result of this support.
• CompeteFor which now has 9,000 suppliers registered from London after the LDA developed the award winning service for businesses to bid for Olympic contracts. The service is now being used nationwide and has advertised 200 contracts since it was launched earlier this year.
  For more information about the LDA's Olympic legacy work visit the Legacy Now website.

A copy of the Employment and Skills Update for 2012 is available at the London Development Agency's website.

-Ends-

Notes to editors

1. The London Development Agency works to improve quality of life for all Londoners and drive sustainable economic growth.
2. The LDA is working in partnership with the LSEB, LOCOG, ODA, Five Host Boroughs and JobCentre Plus to deliver an employment and skills legacy.
3. CompeteFor has brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, which includes the English RDA's, Devolved Administrations, the ODA and LOCOG to deliver a common vision: 'To ensure the transparency and availability of London 2012 opportunities maximising the number and diversity of businesses contributing to the London 2012 programme, and create a legacy of increased capacity and expertise'. CompeteFor website
4. Personal Best is being funded by the LDA and the LSC and supported by the London 2012 Organising Committee, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, JobCentre Plus, Greater London Volunteering and the 11 local authorities. The programme is based on a model used at the 2002 Commonwealth Game in Manchester. The 11 boroughs taking part in the first two phases are Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets, Brent, Westminster, Southwark, Lambeth, Haringey and Croydon. Personal Best training includes health and safety, first - aid awareness, customer relations, computer skills and an appreciation of the Olympic spirit.
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.