Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Latest NewsLearning & developmentTraining strategies

MPs and unions unite to call for focus on Olympic training

by Martin Couzins 31 Jan 2006
by Martin Couzins 31 Jan 2006

Employers bidding for 2012 Olympics contracts should be forced to include commitments on staff training in their proposals, MPs and union leaders said last week.

Speaking to Personnel Today at the 2012 Olympics Business Summit, held at Canary Wharf in London, John Spellar, chairman of the parliamentary construction committee, said contract winners should not be allowed to ignore skills issues.

“Companies should be told: ‘You want to do business, you will sign up to the training project’,” he said. “As well as infrastructure, there is a human capital legacy to the Olympics and, because of the length of the project, we need a steady flow of local skilled labour.”

Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said that skills were key to the success of the games. He agreed that contracts should compel employers to include a requirement for training.

“Employers working on the Olympics project should be required, as a condition of winning their contract, to offer apprenticeship places to local people and provide training and skills development for all of their staff,” Barber said. “Champion employers already meet these standards and every company working on the Olympics should be a champion employer.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell did not make firm commitment on the training issue, but indicated that companies with good employment practices would have an edge in bidding for contracts. She told the summit that the government was “very keen that all the contracts [awarded for the games] are characterised by good employment practices”.

Jowell said the UK would use the 2000 Sydney Olympics employment practice framework, negotiated with business and trade union representatives, as a benchmark.


Martin Couzins

Martin is an experienced business-to-business journalist who has spent many years covering the HR and L&D sectors. As well as writing and curating content on these topics, he runs Massive Open Online Courses through MOOC Pro as well as a digital content and communications agency Itsdevelopmental.

previous post
Boys’ Brigade attacks Liberty and Law comment
next post
Computer virus set to attack on Friday

You may also like

EHRC submits new code of practice to government

5 Sep 2025

Lloyds Banking Group to target underperformers for job...

5 Sep 2025

How to manage workplace investigations effectively

5 Sep 2025

Manager who called bosses ‘dickheads’ was unfairly dismissed

5 Sep 2025

Jaguar Land Rover staff sent home after cyber...

5 Sep 2025

Agency crackdown won’t cure NHS staffing crisis alone

5 Sep 2025

‘Terrible’ Employment Rights Bill returns to Commons

4 Sep 2025

Connect to Work scheme to benefit 15 areas...

4 Sep 2025

Sandie Peggie launches fresh legal action against NHS...

3 Sep 2025

How to stop flying blind with workforce planning

3 Sep 2025

  • Work smart – stay well: Avoid unnecessary pain with centred ergonomics SPONSORED | If you often notice...Read more
  • Elevate your L&D strategy at the World of Learning 2025 SPONSORED | This October...Read more
  • How to employ a global workforce from the UK (webinar) WEBINAR | With an unpredictable...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits Live
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise