MILLIONS of pounds is to be spent on training East Anglians to help make the 2012 London Olympics a massive success.

MILLIONS of pounds is to be spent on training East Anglians to help make the 2012 London Olympics a massive success.

The Learning and Skills Council for the East of England has £6.2million to spend on providing training for people to work on the Olympic project.

This includes providing training for construction workers who will be needed to build the sports stadia and Olympic village.

There will also be a need to train people to build and operate new infrastructure projects - like new rail lines and road.

And training will also be given to people who will help to ensure that the Olympics are successful when they actually take place in six years time.

Part of the money will be used to teach people new languages so they are able to speak to guests.

The £6.2million is coming from the European Social Fund and has been allocated by the East of England Development Agency.

Maureen Staines from the LSC in Suffolk said that the regional councils from the East of England, London, and the South East of England had come together to provide training.

She said: “This is a very big project and many people think we are looking too far ahead. But we need to get training underway now to ensure there are enough people with the appropriate skills.

“This is the first tranche of funding from Europe and we are hoping that there could be more. It sounds like a lot, but it is for the whole of the East of England.”

Mrs Staines said the location of the main Olympic venues - in the east of London - made it ideal for workers from this region.

However it will be a long-term project to bring the dream to fruition, and work training potential staff needs to start now.