Let the Games Begin

The five year countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games has begun and with it brings potential for a major increase in employment opportunities. By 2016 the release of as many as 180,000 new jobs is anticipated.

From hot dog sellers to logistics co-ordinators, the need for an increased workforce will span across many business sectors and involve companies nationwide. As the majority of jobs up for grabs require a minimum NVQ Level 3 qualification, the Government has pledged £1.5 million for skills development in this area.

So it’s not just the athletes who’ll be put through their paces in the build up to the 2012 Games. A different sort of “training” will be taking place among new recruits eager to benefit from the 500,000-strong tourist invasion predicted to penetrate London during the Games period.

While Craig Pickering races against the clock, employers will be ensuring staff are properly skilled and qualified in their designated roles. The learning requirements of these employees creates potential for an

e-learning gold medal in the race to provide the technological tools to educate the workforce masses.

Advising the International Olympic Committee and in particular the team involved in the London 2012 organisation is Pascal Wattiaux, of Disruptive Play and P W Sport Ltd. Referring to the training requirements of future Olympic Games employees, Pascal made the following comment:

"E-learning, and particularly the use of serious games and simulations, is an exceptionally efficient and cost-effective way of giving these people the knowledge and skills they need…"

Employers need to ensure the 13,000 construction workers, 1,500 electricians and plumbers, and scores of chefs, cleaners and security guards required in the next 5 years, are all qualified and ready to tackle the mayhem and magic that is the Olympic Games.

What better way to provide consistent, interactive training in bulk form, than to take on an e-learning initiative?

As our athletes “go for gold”, with the help of e-learning technologies, so too can the 2012 Games staff raise the torch for professionalism in London!