Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg visited Stratford last week [Feb 22] to launch a training programme to help 140 Newham College students get jobs in new hotels around the Olympic site.
Mr Clegg appeared at a Holiday Inn soon to be opening at Westfield Stratford City with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) chief executive Richard Solomons to introduce the newest hospitality academy in London.
Newham College have teamed up with the hotel group to set up the IHG Academy where students will embark on a six-month Hospitality Skills Diploma NVQ, four weeks of which will include practical experience in one of the group’s hotels.
Mr Clegg said: “It’s an added investment that means young people can learn the skills for the industry in a local college, and then start their career in a local hotel.
“This shows real investment in our future workforce, is a huge boost for jobs across the country, but crucially will see local people benefit from training and work.”
IHG are opening up two new hotels in time for the London 2012 Olympics, creating around 140 jobs in the borough.
Mr Clegg added: “This is exactly the kind of Olympic legacy we want to see.”
Newham College’s head of catering and hospitality, Luigi Lipparelli, said: “Working with employers such as IHG and developing the relationship between our students and prospective employers is extremely important for the College.”
The programme is part of a wider recruitment intiative to create 3,000 new jobs in three years across IHG’s 275 hotels, four of which are in Newham.
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