To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the leisure security industry to ensure that stewards are trained ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): The Home Office has supported the provision of trained stewards for the London 2012 Games through “Bridging the Gap”: an initiative to train young people in stewarding, event management and security guarding with a recognised qualification and opportunities to work within the Games. The initiative has been funded jointly by the Home Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), working alongside the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and further education establishments.
LOCOG’s planned Games-time workforce includes up to 100,000 short-term opportunities from third-party contractors, including in the field of security. LOCOG will ensure that contractors’ staff are appropriately trained and have the necessary skills.