The Athletes Village is committed to providing economic benefits for local people, either by getting them into work, boosting their skills through training, or helping businesses win contracts.

The aim is to make sure those living in the area have access to the thousands of new jobs that will be created over the next few years, and that employers can recruit the workers they need, right here in Stratford.

We will also work to improve the skills of people already in work, and provide excellent education and training, as well as employment, opportunities for local residents.

We’ll do this by:

• With our partner developers and agencies, investing £9m in helping local people access jobs at Athletes Village.

• Working with the London Borough of Newham to set up a new organisation called Workplace – a one-stop shop for training, jobs and business support. All job vacancies, including apprenticeships, training schemes and contracts going out to tender will be available through Workplace.

• Working closely with existing networks and structures, such as Job Centre Plus, Connexions, the London Development Agency, and Olympic initiatives.

• Boosting education and training for 14 – 19 year olds, so they leave school or college with the right skills and knowledge to get jobs at Stratford City. With the London Borough of Newham and the Newham Education and Business Partnership we’ve already started working with schools to explain what skills employers will be looking for, and check the curriculum covers these.

• Encouraging everyone working at Athletes Village to make a commitment to ensuring local people benefit from the opportunities on offer. One way we are doing this is by encouraging all our contractors and their sub contractors to give priority to local residents for job vacancies and training opportunities. Workplace will ensure these opportunities are shared and accessed by local people.
  

• The Stratford Charter sets out the main ways to get work at Athletes Village, and the help that is available, whether you’ve worked in the construction industry before, have been out of work for a long time, or are still at school.

• The Stratford City Jobs and Business Strategy explains what we will do to make sure the development transforms the local economy and brings real benefits, whether you’re still at school or have been out of work for years.