Earlier this week, we celebrated Olympic Day – marking one month to go until the start of the 2020 Tokyo Games. It’s hard to believe that nine years ago, London was making its final preparations ahead of the 2012 Games.

Back then, we made a promise to use the opportunity of these Games to change the lives of people in east London. To help us achieve this, the developments on and around the Park were estimated to deliver 40,000 jobs. Nine years on, almost 25,000 of those jobs are already here.

But it’s not just about jobs delivery. The London Legacy Development Corporation’s (LLDC) work is focused on supporting and developing diverse, local talent and creating new pathways for east Londoners to access apprenticeships, training, and skills programmes and compete for the jobs of tomorrow. 

We want to ensure that the scale of job opportunities being created through the physical regeneration of the Park reaches as many people as possible, by working in partnership with developers, operators, tenants and businesses.

We also know that nurturing and developing talent means raising aspirations at a young age, and there is a range of programmes and initiatives currently open to inspire local young people and link them to the exciting future opportunities on their doorstep.

Applications are currently open for LLDC’s annual East Summer School, running from 26 July to 6 August. Its aim is to enable young people to develop new skills in topics and courses they may not have been exposed to before, providing insight into the different education and career routes available for young people – at East Bank and further afield.

Young people have had an incredibly difficult time during the pandemic, and so I’m delighted to see the return of in-person workshops, allowing attendees to meet new people and build new relationships face-to-face. This year, 35 different courses are on offer with support from world-leading East Bank partners BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, University College London, V&A and Sadler’s Wells, as well as a range of local partners.

As ever, East Summer School is completely free, so do encourage any 12-17 year old residents in east London to sign up here by 12 July. 

Over at Loughborough University, applications are open for this year’s Inspiring Success programme. Initially supported by LLDC and now supported by Foundation for Future London, the programme is offering employability support to unemployed or underemployed east London graduates, as well as fully-funded scholarships to study a postgraduate programme at the university. Since the programme has opened, 44 local residents have received 100% scholarships with 80% of those graduated now in graduate-level jobs. Application forms are available here for anyone who may be interested. 

There’s also a few weeks left to apply for Here East’s scholarship programme, delivered in collaboration with Staffordshire University London and Liverpool Media Academy. The programme will support prospective students from local boroughs with a full scholarship to study at these world-class universities. 

It is programmes like these that will help shape the futures of the next generation and it is our duty to ensure we continue to provide these opportunities for our local communities.