The Academy was officially launched on the 19th November, at a special event held at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The event was presented by Martin Havenhand, the Chair of the National Skills Academy, who introduced a number of speakers including Lord Young – the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills and Apprenticeships, Gerry Sutcliffe – the Minister for Sport and Frank Dick OBE. The initiative was set up to address the skills gap in the sector and help fill the deficit of qualified coaches and volunteers in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics. The academy aims to provide a single point of access for training 85,000 new entrants, existing staff and volunteers each year by 2013. Florence Orban, interim chief executive of the skills academy, said: “The skills academy will bring clarity to a confused training picture. Currently, learners have to choose from around 490 existing qualifications specific to our sector and these have historically been delivered through an uncoordinated mix of providers. ”It can be very confusing and that makes it …