G4S UK and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) will be collaborating with the 'Bridging the Gap' scheme established by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), the Security Industry Authority (SIA), Skills for Security and North Hertfordshire College to identify talented people from further education colleges across the UK and bring them into the guarding sector.
The initiative is set to bring thousands of recruits into the security industry. It provides a formal qualification for further education students from across the UK, leading to a guaranteed job interview with LOCOG to help supplement its security provision at the time of the Games. The programme has been awarded the London 2012 'Inspire Mark'.
It is hoped the project will prove to be a gateway to a long-term career in the security industry, providing a lasting legacy. The intake of students for London 2012 will be managed by G4S. Last year marked the 75th year anniversary of G4S in the UK, where it now employs 50,000 people. The group has extensive experience in the security of sporting and other major events and has been responsible for security at the Olympic Park site in East London since 2008. The deal with LOCOG will cover all Olympic and Paralympic venues across the UK.
David Taylor-Smith, regional CEO of G4S UK & Africa, said: "We have worked extremely hard with LOCOG, the police, central government and the host venues and boroughs to develop a security proposal which will provide excellent security for the games, while ensuring that spectators, competitors and providers of services to the Games can enjoy the spectacle of one of the greatest sporting events in the world."
LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton added: "This deal represents where we are with our plans for the Games - we are now looking at operational delivery. G4S will help us ensure that the security provisions in place are robust and of the highest professionalism and we welcome it to the London 2012 family. Our commercial programme has been a great success and we are now approaching our targets, which will contribute to the staging of spectacular Games in 2012."
