The user friendly site offers a plethora of original tools to help colleges and universities get the most out of the London 2012 Games.

Announcing the launch Podium Chair, Professor Simon Lee said; “Working alongside Podium every college and university in the country can make their own unique contribution to the Games.”

Nick Fuller, Head of Education at LOCOG commented; “LOCOG is delighted to be working closely with Podium to engage with the Further and Higher Education sectors. A plethora of sector-specific information is available in the form of news stories, event listings and opportunity postings. This new site from Podium seeks to assist the FE and HE sectors in developing their own projects and plans inspired by the London 2012 Games.”

The website promotes collaboration and offers the opportunity for FECs and HEIs to showcase their activity through the new regions section which has populated maps, showing where colleges and universities are actively engaged with the 2012 Games.

Angela Salt, Head of Nations and Regions at LOCOG said; “The new Podium website offers universities and colleges the opportunity to engage through maps and links, and to demonstrate the inspiring 2012 Games relate work already underway via the showcase page."

Steve Egan, Deputy Chief Executive of HEFCE remarked; "HEFCE are pleased to support the sector as it ensures that the 2012 Olympics deliver a lasting benefit for the country. Podium play an important role in helping the sector make the most of the opportunities that the games will bring."

Martin Doel, the Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges added; “The Podium website has a key part to play in ensuring that all Further Education Colleges understand the opportunities presented by the 2012 Games. The Association of Colleges is delighted to be supporting Podium’s work and believes that the Further Education sector will perform a vital role in delivering a successful Games and a lasting legacy.”

Amongst the new content is a tailored opportunities section detailing competitions, business opportunities and vacancies; together with a facility for RSS news feeds and an updated news section to complement the existing newsletters.

The showcase page offers a platform for more detailed case studies of 2012 Games focused projects running at colleges and universities from across the country. Website users can easily provide links to their events, news stories, photographs and other activities through the upload section.

Games related Resources are now sorted into comprehensive sections for ease of browsing and there is a new search facility to help you find the piece of research, brochure or application form that you need.

For students there is a separate student area where student lead activities and events inspired by the values of the Olympics and Paralympics can take the spotlight.

In order to ensure that others can get the most out of London 2012 - please provide a hyperlink to www.podium.ac.uk from the appropriate area of your website. (Please contact Charlotte Foster if you would like to use the Podium logo.)