Welcome to the 5 Boroughs Education and Training Initiative

We are the ten further education colleges in the 5 Olympic boroughs and are now working closer together than ever before. Joined together by our passion and expertise we will ensure that local people benefit most from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and their legacy.

As excitement gains momentum over the London Olympics and Paralympics the demand for skilled workers to build and service the event is becoming more apparent.

The Olympic Park area will generate12,000 new jobs, in such sectors as diverse as construction, tourism and media. 9,000 new homes will be created alongside new schools, health and community facilities.

To be ready to take advantage of these opportunities we need to start training now and not just on the sports track but in the classroom and in the work place. Unless we have the right skills within the five boroughs then the job opportunities generated will go to those outside the area.

We are already running courses that are directly relevant to the needs of 2012 and are ready and eager to do even more. In addition, the colleges within five boroughs are host to nine Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) – and CoVE status is a national recognition, through the Learning and Skills Council.
As can be seen from the following list these CoVEs are all in areas relevant to the jobs that will be created to service the games and their legacy.

• Tourism and Heritage
• Health and Social Care
• Construction Skills and New Building Techniques
• Business and Enterprise Skills
• Rail Construction
• Textile Manufacturing and Design
• IT Networking
• Digital and Broadcast Media
• Finance

But we don’t just offer training in these areas, between us we cover virtually every occupational area – from horticulture to hosiery. In fact we have links with over 5,000 local employers, these vary in size from the smallest SME to the multinational companies based in Docklands. Our links include bespoke training courses, modern apprenticeships, day release provision alongside work placements for students to prepare them for the world of work and for staff to keep them updated.

No-one who lives in London can escape the enthusiasm, passion and energy Londoners have. The diverse culture of our City makes us the perfect host for this international event. In East London alone, more than 300 languages are spoken, over 30 ethnic groups live together in harmony and more than 70 national cuisines are available to all. Our colleges both reflect, celebrate and support these communities.

We have a vibrant motivated multi-ethnic student population

The chart below gives a breakdown of the ethnicity of the student population of the FE colleges in the five London Boroughs. It is clear from this that the colleges attract and support a large number of students from the Black Minority Ethnic (BME) communities.

These students between them offer the employment market well over 120 different languages.They bring with them cultural understanding and sensitivity that, as employees, will be vital to make the visitor experience to the London Olympics and Paralympics one that will be remembered for the unique quality promised in Singapore

The further education colleges in the 5 ‘Olympic’ boroughs represent an unparalleled resource to support training in preparation for 2012.