Call for city skills boost for 2012 Olympic Games
WORKERS in the Birmingham area have been urged to get “in the zone” and prepare for the opportunities expected to flow from the 2012 London Olympics.
The city is hoping to cash in on its exposure to the Games, with Villa Park one of the venues for the football tournament and the American athletics squad basing itself in Birmingham over the course of the Olympics.
South Birmingham College is hoping to gear up for the anticipated future job opportunities by opening a new skills centre called The Learning Zone, which will be based at the National Exhibition Centre.
The centre, which was officially opened by Employment Minister Pat McFadden, aims to provide basic skills training to workers and help them achieve nationally recognised qualifications.
Staff from the college’s Skills for Life division will help workers in need of training to access The Learning Zone at times to suit them.
Paul Morris, assistant principal at South Birmingham College, said: “Research shows poor basic skills can result in lower productivity, so it is in the employers’ best interests to ensure their staff receive the training they need.”
The NEC Group has provided a room, formerly the Lord Mayor’s Suite, for The Learning Zone which is being refurbished and modernised with learning facilities.
The project was made possible thanks to the Unite union securing £35,000 of development funding through regional development agency Advantage West Midlands and with the NEC Group investing £18,000 in The Learning Zone.
Mr McFadden said: “In today’s world of work, access to skills and qualifications is more important than ever.
“Union learning centres like this can make a real difference to boosting people’s skills and confidence.
“They can also increase people’s earning power and provide them with more opportunities. And they are good for employers too because business is very keen to have a better, more skilled workforce.”
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