Podium Skills London - March 2009 News Update

Welcome

Welcome to the second Podium Skills London news-update. As of January the AoC London Region 2012 Project has been officially rebranded under the name ‘Podium Skills London’ and we are pleased to announce to all of our colleagues and stakeholders that Podium Skills London will be working closely with our partners Podium to support the contribution of FE/HE to the London 2012 Games.

Since our last news-update we have delivered the bulk of our first series of 2012 Skills Showcase events. These have covered Construction, Engineering and the Built Environment, Hospitality and Catering and Sports Coaching and Development (see below for details). We are now developing the next programme of showcase events so please get in touch with us if you are interested in your College, University or organisation being involved.

Residents of the Five Olympic Park Host Boroughs given headstart to jobs in Construction

In an effort to encourage residents of the five host Olympic boroughs to consider a career in Construction, Engineering and the Built Environment, Podium Skills London organised a two day Skills in Construction Showcase on 2nd and 3rd December 2008. The event was organised in association with Construction Skills, Summit Skills, The University of East London and The Office of the 5 Host Boroughs and was hosted at the newly opened National Construction College (NCC) East London in Newham. Day 1 was attended by local year 9 and 10 school students, with Day 2 targeted towards 16-25 year olds not currently in employment, education or training. Both days provided participants with a first hand insight into the sector through a series of practical taster sessions, which were supported by information on training provision delivered within the local area.

Reflecting on his experience of the day, Christopher Gregory, Head of Design & Technology at Hackney Free and Parochial Secondary School, said: “The staff who attended the event were extremely helpful and informative and gave pupils the chance to have a real hands on taste to the various roles on a construction site. The day will be of real value to them, by enriching their learning and helping with various aspects of their diploma coursework."

Promoting the importance of Hospitality & Catering towards the staging of the Games

Westminster Kingsway College hosted our ‘Skills in Hospitality & Catering Showcase’ on February 10th, which highlighted the career and training opportunities within the Hospitality and Catering Industry that are likely to become available directly and indirectly as a result of the London 2012 Games. Team GB Olympic Athlete Chris Tomlinson and Celebrity Chef Speaker Cyrus Todiwala MBE spoke to participants about the importance of the Hospitality & Catering Industry not only to the 2012 Games but to the British economy as a whole.

Chris Tomlinson shared his thoughts on the day, “The catering industry is very crucial to the success of the athletes. It isn’t just about the feeding and well being of the Olympic Village, it’s also the fact that the dining rooms are where everyone meets, relaxes and unwinds from the stress of the competition. With the 2012 Olympics coming up we want to use this opportunity to get young people involved and help them build their career beyond the Games and onto bigger and brighter things.”

Londoners passionate about Sport receive sound career advice

On Saturday February 28th Fulham Football Club hosted the Podium Skills London Careers in Sport Showcase. The event provided participants from a wide variety of backgrounds with the opportunity to engage in a series of interactive workshops facilitated by organisations including The FA, Sports Officials UK, SkillsActive and The London Community Sports Network. Workshop sessions were also hosted by Bromley College’s Weightlifting Academy and the Sports Science department at Roehampton University.

Olympic Gold Medallist Jason Gardener provided the participants with an interactive discussion based on the vital role of sports professionals including physiotherapists, sports psychologists and nutritionists and the contribution that they have made towards his multiple European, World and Olympic titles.

HE Promotional and Employability Workshop – Construction

Podium Skills London recently delivered two workshops at The University of East London on March 5th and 12th for first year foundation degree students studying Construction Management, Civil Engineering and Surveying. The workshops were designed to offer employability training support as well as further promote the construction industry by informing participants about the range of employment opportunities available within the sector through the 2012 Games, as well as other major construction projects.

Forthcoming Podium Skills London Events

Skills in Media Showcase

On March 25th Podium Skills London will be hosting the Skills in Media Showcase in partnership with Ravensbourne College which will take place at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford. For further information please contact Michael O’ Sullivan from Ravensbourne College on 0208 289 4903 or email shortcourses@rave.ac.uk.

Research Project

Lessons Learned from Beijing 2008 for London FE/HE

Podium Skills London have recently commissioned Beijing World City Links to carry out a small research project designed to both analyse and learn from the training and skills strategies implemented during the lead up to the Beijing 2008 Games. The research report is expected to be available at the beginning of April.

Other News

Get awarded for lighting the flame (London Education Partnership Awards)

The London Education Partnership (LEP) Awards 2009 have been launched to celebrate the achievements of London's schools, colleges, universities and business partnerships. For a second year, our partners Podium are supporting these awards by sponsoring the ‘2012 – lighting the flame’ category which was awarded to the London-Beijing World City Links project in 2008. If your college/university/partnership is using the 2012 Games to inspire innovative schemes please have a look at the application brochure and see if your institution or partnership could win the Podium award this year.

Application deadline is 5.00pm on Friday 20th March 2009 - click here to find out more.

Building Language and Cultural Awareness Skills

Podium Skills London recently provided communication support to the London Regional Language Network by promoting the RLN Service Finder directly to London language training providers. The objective of this exercise was to further expand the offer of language training provision provided through the Service Finder. Colleges or Universities interested in signing up can do so via the following link – www.rln-london.com/servicefinder

For further details on Podium Skills London please contact:

Uhuru Tyrie-Socha – Programme Manager

E: uhuru@podiumskillslondon.co.uk
T: 020 7664 4874

Matt Parker – Project Coordinator

E: matt@podiumskillslondon.co.uk
T: 020 7664 4849