East London youths on construction industry training courses are unable to complete their courses due to lack of essential work experience. Without work placements they cannot qualify, and without qualifications they will not get the 7000 building jobs associated with London 2012.
To tackle unemployment in Tower Hamlets, which has the second highest unemployment rate among non-white youths in the UK, the Legacy 2012 club offers construction industry training to 16–17 year-olds. In order to complete the training course, and go on to get an Olympics construction job, students must undertake work placements. But much of the building work in London is carried out by self-employed sub-contractors who do not take students on work experience. There are nowhere near enough placements to go round. Result: Catch 2012, as unemployed youths cannot complete their training course and cannot get skilled building jobs without having completed it.
Emma Peters, director of Development and Renewal for Tower Hamlets estimates ‘150,000 new jobs in Tower Hamlets by 2016. To get employment, we will be focusing on Olympic-related growth sectors such as leisure, travel, tourism and construction. The key element will be ring-fencing jobs for locals.’
It remains to be seen how the ring-fencing of jobs will work out, however. Peter Lobban, chief Executive of CITB Construction Skills, warns that ‘Labour will still have to be imported for the Olympics just like Heathrow Terminal 5, as we do not have the necessary skills.’
Current attempts to close the skills gap leave room for improvement.
Kelly Handscomb is studying journalism.
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Welcome to this issue
Contents of this issue
Editor’s letter
Academic
Debate
Entertainment
Essays
Journalism
Feedback
Redbridge MP Fails Britishness Test
Catch 2012
Altered States
Hollywood Comes to London Town
Stating The Obvious and Re-stating The Problem
Human Costs
Terror in Little Italy
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