British workers get £90m to train for Olympic jobs

Skills Secretary John Denham injected nearly £90 million into the capital's skills budget as he warned that no Briton should have any excuse for losing out to migrants on the employment bonanza sparked by the Games.

Some 30,000 jobs are set to be generated ahead of the Olympics, but latest figures show that more than 100,000 people of working age are unemployed in the East End boroughs nearest to the site.

Mr Denham unveiled the help for London as he announced national plans to set up 7.5 million training places over the next three years. There will also be 120,000 new apprenticeships for under-25s and 30,000 places for older workers. Another 3.5 million places on basic skills courses will be offered to those with poor qualifications.

Experts have warned that most of the new Olympics jobs will be taken by better qualified Eastern European workers.

Sceptics are sure to point out that the new training places will be eligible for new British nationals who have lived here for three years, as well as those migrants who are on course for the right to remain in the UK. The Tories have already said it is illegal under EU law to try to discriminate against Eastern Europeans.

Mr Denham said: "For millions of people, skills and learning are the key to improving their lives - whether getting into and on at work, improving job prospects or simply putting more money into their pockets. It will also help ensure that nobody here is unable to get a job because it is easier to employ a skilled or better qualified migrant worker."

The minister confirmed that Ken Livingstone's-Adult Skills Budget for Greater London would rise from £588million this year to £672 million by 2010. He wants Londoners to target jobs in four key sectors related to the 2012 Olympics - sport, customer service, medical and construction skills. This includes 12,000 jobs in the Olympic Park, with more jobs due to be created in the run-up to the Games.

It is estimated that nearly a third of people of traditional working age in the UK are poorly qualified, and almost seven million have problems with numeracy or literacy. But many employers argue that problems of basic skills should be addressed in schools.

Chief spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses Stephen Alambritis said: "When recruiting school leavers, over 40 per cent of small businesses report problems with basic, lowlevel skills (such as literacy and numeracy) and soft skills (such as communication) ... The need for 3.5 million basic skills courses is an acknowledgement that the education system is not performing as it should."

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber welcomed the plans, saying they would boost growth and productivity.