London 2012 volunteer regional selection programme arrives in the North West

[richard]

Today the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) brings the selection process for London 2012 volunteers to the Digital World Centre in Salford Quays.

• Salford hosting second of eight regional Games Maker selection centres
• An estimated 5,000 Games Maker applicants based in the North West to be interviewed at the Digital World Centre from 24 March to 16 April
• Images from the launch available to download here.

Gold-medal winning Paralympic cyclist and World Champion Jody Cundy MBE, joined local Games Maker applicants at the centre to officially launch the interview programme in the region.

The venue is the official selection centre for Games Maker applicants based in the North West. From today until 16 April 2011, around 224 people a day are expected to be interviewed at the venue for a wide range of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteer roles based at Olympic and Paralympic venues across the UK.

Around 100,000 people across the UK will be interviewed for Games Maker volunteer roles and it is estimated that 5,000 of these interviews will take place in Salford. The Salford launch is the second of eight regional selection events taking place around the UK from today until mid August 2011. A dedicated interview centre at London’s ExCel Centre opened on 1 February 2011 and will remain active until March 2012.

World and Paralympic Champion Jody Cundy MBE said: ‘Games time volunteers are not only inspiring – they are also vital. Athletes rely on volunteers to ensure they can focus on the task in hand and for anyone watching the Games, it is the volunteers that will make London 2012 the greatest show on earth’.

Phil Sherwood, LOCOG head of volunteering, said: ‘We are looking for the best team players from across the UK to volunteer at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and that’s why we are interviewing right across the UK to find the people who will be the faces of the Games.

‘Our team will be finding out if the applicants have got what it takes to be a Games Maker and are willing to go beyond their personal best to help us stage a great Olympic and Paralympic Games. The interview process is a huge undertaking but vitally important to find the right people for the success of the 2012 Games.’

Sheldon Phillips, Head of Regional Major Events at the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA) said: ‘London 2012 is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the whole of the UK, including England’s North West, to engage with the spirit of the 2012 Games. For some, the launch of today’s volunteer regional selection programme is just the first step of their Olympic and Paralympic journey, with a chance to improve skills and be a part of sporting history.

Behind the scenes, the North West team continues to work hard with regional businesses, schools, community groups and local people to ensure the region maximises the sporting, social and economic benefits from the Games and creates a lasting legacy.’

100,000 people best suited to the 70,000 volunteer roles on offer will be invited over 14 months to take part in an interview. Interviewees will attend a selection event that comprises of meeting LOCOG staff recruiting for the volunteer roles, an exhibition about Olympic and Paralympic volunteering and a 30 minute interview. Where possible, applicants will be invited to attend the selection event nearest to them.

Given the numbers involved in the UK’s biggest peace-time recruitment drive, no two applications will proceed at the same pace. LOCOG will take most of 2011 to contact applicants and arrange interviews via email and the Games Maker online portal.

The Games Maker interviews in Salford will be conducted by a team of 240 Selection Event Volunteers who are lending their time to help LOCOG select the best possible Games Maker team. Many of the interviewers at the Salford selection centre are Games Maker applicants with HR and/or significant recruitment experience. All have completed comprehensive training led by LOCOG to ensure a positive, fair and enjoyable interview experience.

Worldwide Olympic Partner McDonald’s is the Presenting Partner of the Games Maker volunteer programme. McDonald’s used its nationwide presence to help attract candidates for the diverse team that will be needed to make the London 2012 Games a success. The LOCOG Volunteer team held training sessions for many of the volunteers conducting interviews at the world-class training facilities at McDonald’s head office in East Finchley, London.

Salford based McDonald’s franchisee, Mark Shanley, said: ‘This is a great opportunity for local people to help to deliver the 2012 Games here in the North West. The volunteer interviewers have a critical task ahead to find people who possess the enthusiasm and dedication needed to be a true Games Maker. At McDonald’s we have extensive experience of recruiting people with the right attitude and qualities to thrive in a fast paced environment while delivering excellent customer service and hospitality, so we’re delighted to be working alongside LOCOG to build a first-class Games Maker team.’

Cadbury is an Official Supporter of the London 2012 Games Maker programme and will help LOCOG build great Games Maker teams through fun and friendly game play delivered by programmes such as the Spots v Stripes campaign.

Old Trafford Stadium will host some of the men’s and women’s football tournaments during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

– Ends –

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012

Notes to editors:

Games Maker selection events

London: 1 February 2011 – 31 March 2012 at ExCeL London
Weymouth and Portland: 8 - 20 March at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Salford: 24 March -16 April at The Digital World Centre, Salford Quays
Belfast: 20 April – 29 April at Queen's University Physical Education Centre
Glasgow: 4 -15 May at the Glasgow Science Centre
Gateshead: 19 May - 3 June at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Cardiff: 7 – 18 June at the Coal Exchange
Coventry: 22 June – 7 August at the University of Warwick Sports Centre
Plymouth: 11 – 17 August at the University College Plymouth, St Mark & St John’s Sports Hall

Games Maker timeline

January 2011 onwards: short-listed applicants begin to be invited to a selection event
February 2011 – March 2012: selection events take place
Late 2011 onwards: offers made to successful applicants
February 2012: orientation training begins
February 2012: role-specific training begins
March 2012: event leadership training begins
April 2012: distribution of uniforms and accreditation passes begin
April 2012: venue training begins.

McDonald's is the Presenting Partner of the volunteering programme. The organisation currently employees 80,000 people across the UK and each year invests over £30millilion in training this workforce. McDonald's gained recognition by the Great Places to Work in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 and has also been in The Times Top 100 of Graduate Employers for ten consecutive years. The company has been ranked as one of Britain's Top employers to be granted awarding body status and is currently one of the UK's biggest providers of Apprenticeships.

Cadbury’s association with the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as Official Treat Provider to the 2012 Games will be the biggest programme ever undertaken in Cadbury’s history – underpinning commercial, marketing, merchandising and employee engagement up to London 2012 and beyond.

To celebrate its support of London 2012, Cadbury has launched Spots v Stripes, an ambitious and exciting campaign that aims to get people of all ages and walks of life to play games again.

Atos Origin - The Games Maker volunteer portal has been designed and built by Atos Origin - Worldwide IT Partner for the Olympic Games through to 2016. In the run up to the London 2012 Games, the portal developed by Atos Origin will enable London 2012 to recruit up to 70,000 volunteers. The portal will be the main channel of communication between the Games Maker volunteers and the London 2012 Organising Committee.

McCann - The Games Maker idea was created by McCann Worldgroup, the official Marketing Services Provider for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They are also responsible for developing and executing the fully integrated advertising campaign to attract applicants in 2010.

The Digital World Centre - The Digital World Centre is a highly prominent 72,406 sq ft office building which is located opposite MediaCityUK, the new home of the BBC. The building is curtain glazed and its unique pattern actually spells ‘Digital World Centre, Salford Quays’ in binary.


As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty three domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, Next, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Rapiscan, Technogym, Ticketmaster and Trident.

There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games Partner Otto Bock.

The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, Dow Chemical Company, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.

The images in this press release are for editorial/journalistic use only. By editorial/journalistic use we mean use for reporting on current events by newspapers and magazines etc. These images are not provided for editorial use within marketing or promotional materials.


Source
www.london2012.com