London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games
Since 2005, we have been working to inform, co-ordinate and support the higher education (HE) sector's response to the opportunities the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games present. We have targeted specific activities that enhance the sector's contribution to the 2012 Games and new areas of work which will have a life after they are over - providing a lasting legacy.
Podium
HEFCE, HEFCW and the Skills Funding Agency are jointly funding Podium, a co-ordination and communications unit to support the HE and further education sectors in their work relating to the 2012 Games.
Podium aims to communicate within the HE and further education sectors and with outside agencies about the potential for universities and colleges to support the successful staging and delivery of the London 2012 Games and to help create a lasting legacy. Podium facilitates collaborative work and the sharing of best practice within the sectors (and their communities) in order to develop projects and events which maximise the benefits of hosting the Games.
Funding Olympics-related HE projects
We have supported a number of Olympics-related HE projects through the Strategic Development Fund (SDF). These include:
- Creative Campus – led by universities in the South East
Creative Campus aims to create a lasting legacy of social, economic and cultural collaboration within higher education by bringing young people together from diverse cultural backgrounds in the production of new and innovative forms of creative and performing arts. - Regional Educational Legacy in Arts and Youth Sports (RELAYS) – led by universities in the South West
RELAYS aims to create a lasting legacy of engaged and upskilled young people, improved education provision, new sustainable festivals and events, an enhanced regional cultural tourism offer and successfully engaged businesses. - Volunteering 2012 – led by universities in the North West
Volunteering 2012 aims to facilitate the development and delivery of higher-level sport volunteering and coaching skills to meet the needs of North West sport community partners. - Tackling Social Inclusion issues – led by Sports Universities in North East England (SUNEE)
SUNEE aims to enable the universities to make a step change in the way in which their community engagement and outreach activities contribute to tackling social inclusion issues. - Volunteering activity – National Union of Students and Coca Cola
The project aims to establish Student Ambassadors at every NUS-affiliated university in England. The network of students and student unions will be provided with the necessary tools to engage with all aspects of the Games. The project seeks to engage and enthuse students with the Games. - Sports Disability Officer – led by University of Nottingham and British University Sports and Colleges
Our funding will be used to support a Sports Disability Officer post to assess barriers to participation in sport among students with disabilities, and develop work to overcome these barriers.
Context
In December 2007 we submitted a report to the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills describing HEFCE's, and the sector's, existing work, and indicating the sort of activities that will take place over the next five years.
The HE sector and the 2012 London Olympic Games - HEFCE report to the Secretary of State
[ Download HE sector and the 2012 London Olympic Games as Adobe PDF 74K ]
Two HEFCE board papers chart the progression of our Olympics-related work.
We will publish shortly an update on progress so far and our strategy for this work until 2012.
Further information
For further information about HEFCE's involvement in the 2012 Games please contact Rachel Cowie, tel 0117 931 7032, e-mail r.cowie@hefce.ac.uk.
Last updated 27 April 2010