2012 Olympic Park To Create 30,000 Jobs

As the site reaches the halfway mark in its construction schedule, the Olympic Delivery Authority has stated that the building of the London 2012 Olympic Park will have created 30,000 jobs by the time it is completed.

The Olympic Delivery Authority says 7,000 people have already worked on the east London site and of the current workforce, 23% are local residents.

The ODA also says it is creating 250 new apprenticeships on top of an existing 2,000 already planned.

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell commented: ‘The investment of £6.1bn in east London is precisely what east London needs, what London needs, what the country needs at this time because it is creating jobs.

‘One out of 10 of all the people working in the Olympic park are either an apprentice or they are people who are being trained, therefore leaving a legacy of skill.’

The ODA said the current workforce of 3,315 would increase dramatically during 2009 as the pace of building work accelerates and would eventually reach a peak of 11,000 in 2010.

Overall, the total needed for all phases of development up to 2012 will be 30,000.

Jobs created this year will include bricklayers, wood workers, electricians, security guards, engineers, plumbers, scaffolders and machine operators, as well as administrators and support staff.

At present, the ODA says nearly a quarter of employees are from east London and 57% are from the capital as a whole.

Almost one in 10 were previously unemployed, while the same number again are trainees or apprentices.

The ODA has committed to boosting further the number of people being trained on the Olympic site.

The ODA also announced that a scheme to help unemployed people in the host boroughs has so far provided more than 300 with training and jobs. Additionally, a programme specifically aimed at helping women get construction jobs has placed about 40 so far.