Spotlight at the National Careers Service
An Olympic legacy beyond sport
The London Olympic and Paralympic Games promised to ‘inspire a generation’ to get involved in sport – and the evidence is already there that they certainly achieved that. But are there indications that it will have a wider impact in areas such as jobs, attitudes and leisure time?
The impact of British success
According to British Cycling, since riders such as Sir Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins scooped gold for the GB Olympic team, 4,000 extra people have become members of British Cycling, swelling numbers to a record 54,000. And almost two million people are now cycling at least once a week.
Equestrian was another area in which the British team excelled. As a result, Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based industries, is expecting a surge of interest in horse-related jobs. They highlight the Equine Apprenticeship as a starting point to get into a range of jobs in the industry, including jockey, riding instructor and horse groom. There are also courses run by the British Horse Society and the Association of British Riding Schools. Find out more here:
The GB team’s impressive showing in other sports such as athletics, rowing and boxing is set to fuel a surge in interest in all these sports, plus sport in general. The knock-on effect of this could see jobs created at sporting facilities, in sports coaching and development, and in sports equipment retail.
Campaigners also hope that the popularity of the Paralympics will lead to more awareness of disabilities, which could have a positive effect on employers’ attitudes and knowledge.
A showcase for volunteering
You only had to listen to the size of the cheer that went up when Seb Coe paid tribute to the volunteer ‘Games Makers’ to realise the contribution they had made. From ushers to drivers, medal bearers to computer staff, fifty thousand people at the Olympics and 20,000 at the Paralympics worked eight million volunteer hours throughout the summer. Some were experienced volunteers, but many of them were first timers. Many of these said that the sense of community and contribution they felt has made them determined to look for other volunteering opportunities.
A number of leading charities have reported a surge in enquiries about volunteering, after seeing the impact made by the Games Makers. Volunteer organisations hope they can harness this enthusiasm and show people there is a wide range of volunteer opportunities where they can re-create that Olympic spirit. However, there is concern that many people don’t know where to start when it comes to arranging volunteering. These organisations can be a good first port of call:
A new generation of sporting heroes?
If one of the main aims of the London Games was to ‘inspire a generation’, then a recent survey suggests they have done just that. A MediaCom Real World Insight survey into school children’s attitudes found that 52 per cent of boys and 55 per cent of girls aged eight to 12 said the Olympics had made them feel like being more active and doing more sports. The survey also found that more children now looked up to athletes like Jessica Ennis and Usain Bolt. This is a shift from the findings of a similar survey a few years ago, which found many children's overall ambition was to be 'famous' but for no specific reason.
As we have seen, lots of evidence suggests that the Games have touched people’s lives in one way or another, whether it’s changing leisure habits or inspiring a whole new career direction. Whether the impact is lasting or temporary remains to be seen. Maybe in five or ten years’ time we will hear of people in the sports industry and volunteers who will say it was London 2012 that inspired them.
