Interview: ODA chairman John Armitt

He said: "People always remember Wembley had difficulties the Channel Tunnel railway, which was phenomenally more complex than Wembley, was actually delivered on time and on budget.

"We've got some of the biggest and best British contractors and some of the best architects and consulting engineers. In many ways the cream of the UK construction industry.

"It is a landmark so we've got to get it right. It'll be fantastic to have the Olympic and Paralympic Games but the real judgments will come 10 years later when people look at it and say has it provided a real lasting legacy."

Mr Armitt, 63, has over 40 years experience in civil engineering and construction, including the Channel Tunnel rail link and a spell as chief executive of Network Rail after it was placed into administration.

He believes in getting things done and getting them done in the right way, and the Olympics is no different.

The ODA is determined to deliver the Games within its £9.3billion budget and Mr Armitt believes the project has helped rescue the British construction industry in the economic downturn.

He said: "In a way it couldn't be better for us. We're expecting to see 30,000 people have jobs over the next three or four years, not including the enormous number during the Games themselves.

"Across the country you've got a very large supply chain so it's providing jobs nationwide.

"It's one project where you can't say let's put the opening back a year. This one has to be, and will be, done on time. It's great to be associated with something going well at the moment."

The project is bringing increased, and long overdue, training opportunities, something Mr Armitt welcomes.

"Training in the construction industry has not been what it should have been for probably 20 years," he said.

"Part of the problem is it's a project based industry. You haven't got a big factory requiring staff for the next 30 years. You've got a site-based factory which requires a whole host of people for two years on average, and therefore a whole multitude of suppliers.

"It's not necessarily the main contractor who's employing the people, it's the smaller companies. Getting them to invest in training is always difficult when they can only see six or nine months work ahead of them. It is a challenge.

"The most recent statistics, before the current financial crisis, raised a lot of concern about shortages over the next 10 years in London. That's temporarily gone away but in the longer term the concern would remain.

"We do need more skilled people, particularly at the technical level. The Olympics is a £9billion investment so let's get the maximum legacy out of that. Long-term skills training is an obvious way to achieve it."

An apprenticeship programme is incorporated into the Games project, encouraging employers to train staff on the job.

"We've got plans with the contractors to get 350 people," said Mr Armitt. "Some of them won't have completed their apprenticeships [by 2012] but there's an ongoing issue to make sure they get continuity of employment.

"In addition there are about 2,000 people being put through different types of training. We have had the plant training school running for several months now, which has already had 300 people through it and into work, either here or elsewhere in London."

The cost of the Olympics has attracted criticism, with a large proportion of funding coming from government coffers as private cash dries up. Mr Armitt does not dodge the topic.

He said: "It's been very difficult. We were particularly looking for private sector investment for the broadcasting centre and the village.

"The broadcasting centre we've given up on. It will be totally public sector financed but obviously the public sector gets the benefit of the revenue post 2012.

"For the village we're still negotiating a private sector package with Lend Lease and their banks and we're optimistic we'll get something in place in the next few months. The Lend Lease deal was going to be 100 per cent originally but now it will be a significant proportion of public money."

From his office in the Barclays building in Churchill Place Mr Armitt has a bird's-eye view of Canary Wharf, a landscape he helped create.

He said: "I was involved in building Westferry Circus when I was working for John Laings. I could never understand why our budget was about £60million 20 years ago. How could we spend all this money?

"Then we came to the hard landscaping and that's what makes the difference. It was the quality of it. It's expensive but if it's maintained properly, as it is, you get a very good environment, which is what I think contributes to the success of the area.

"You have to take your hat off to the vision, it's fantastic. The buildings are great and it's a real success story for London."

If the Olympic legacy is half as successful as Canary Wharf 20 years on it will be another job well done for Mr Armitt.