Sir David Melville appointed skills envoy
18 July 2008
We today have reason to congratulate LLUK's Chair, Professor Sir David Melville OBE.
He has today been announced as the Skills Envoy for the Thames Gateway project. The ambitious project was announced in November 2007 by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It is the largest regeneration project in Europe and will have a considerable positive impact on the lives of local residents from as far as Canary Wharf and Stratford in London to Southend, Essex and Sittingbourne in Kent.
Sir David's role will bring together business, local authorities, and further education and higher education institutions for the benefit of the local communities and local people. On accepting the role Sir David said:
"Local people will be able to benefit from the proposed 225,000 jobs that Prime Minister Gordon Brown hopes will be generated in the area by 2016. Skills delivery through further and higher education is vital to the success of the project. My role will be to work with both the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department of Communities and Local Government to facilitate the opportunities for local people to gain relevant vocational qualifications. By gaining skills and undertaking training local people will be able to fill jobs at the Olympic Park and benefit from the enormous investment that is being committed to the area."
