As the Games for Everyone we would like our legacy on jobs and skills to mean that we:

• Support local people with training, including higher level skills training and high-quality work experience to help them to access key Games roles and promote volunteering as a key way to develop skills and experience.
• Help local people in priority groups (young people, those from disadvantaged groups, the unemployed and disabled individuals) access these opportunities.
• Better link people in the West Midlands to the local opportunities that the Games will create and to then use the benefits of that experience for years to come.

For Individuals

Jobs and Skills Academy 

More information about how to get involved with the Jobs and Skills Academy will become available soon. In the meantime, explore our current job vacancies.

Volunteering

As well as promoting opportunities in paid employment, the Academy will also promote and widen access to volunteering. This will enable 1,000 people in priority groups to access Games volunteering opportunities.

The Academy will work with local further education colleges, universities, youth hubs, local authorities, and community networks to promote volunteering opportunities to people in priority groups.

This will include:

• Support with the application process

• Promotional events through further education, higher education, Youth Hubs, local authorities, community networks etc.

• Community engagement and wrap around personalised support – subject to funding.

We want to develop a volunteering accreditation programme to recognise and accredit the skills of those participating in the Games workforce, paid and unpaid.

Learn more about volunteering and register your interest

“The Jobs and Skills Academy is an exciting development that will benefit future host cities. A Commonwealth Games employs a large number of people and by linking together with the region’s training institutions, the Academy will help enable young people to acquire key skills that will prove a significant asset in the workplace. It provides long term local legacy benefits that significantly boost young people’s employability prospects and as a model can be replicated by future host cities. Further, the Jobs and Skills Academy enhances the Value proposition of hosting a Commonwealth Games.” Chris Jenkins – Vice President, Commonwealth Games Federation

“Our region has a vibrant, young and diverse population and we want to make sure the Commonwealth Games workforce and volunteers reflects this. The Games can play a significant role in supporting the region’s recovery post-Covid. It offers a unique opportunity, which no other region or city will have in terms of economic, cultural, and social recovery. The Games will help the WMCA to maximise our existing regional assets, shining a light on and amplifying work on our existing priorities and initiatives. Our Commonwealth Jobs and Skills Academy has the potential to maximise Games-related opportunities to support thousands of local people, acting as a springboard into training and jobs and help ensure that the Games workforce and volunteers reflect our region’s vibrant, young and diverse population.” Deborah Cadman - Chief Executive, The West Midlands Combined Authority

For Businesses

The Academy will act as the link, preparing and supporting local people to access the job opportunities provided by the OC and its £350 million supply chain.

The Academy will work with contractors to understand and respond to their skills and recruitment needs, ensuring these can be met by a local workforce. Where skills are required, the Academy will develop and fund bespoke training courses to meet the needs of contractors and OC roles. These roles will include:

• Construction, Including Pre-Employment Construction Training

• Security

• Catering, Including Food Hygiene

• Cleaning

• Stewarding

• Venue Management

• Games Time Volunteering Roles.

Work has begun already – funding construction training to upskill local unemployed people who have then gone on to get jobs working on infrastructure development linked to the Games, including building the Sandwell Aquatics Centre and the Perry Barr regeneration scheme.

As part of the commitment to ensure that local people benefit from the Games the vast majority of OC suppliers are offering interesting jobs and skills opportunities. Some already underway include:

• Sunset and Vine, the broadcasting agency, will offer 150 two-week placements across five broad disciplines.

• McCann Central, the marketing communications agency, will offer voluntary and paid placements, and internships in a range of digital, creative, and commercial roles.

• Birmingham 2022 is providing a number of apprenticeships.