Waltham Forest Council (WFC) has officially unveiled a new £7.24m venue in Leyton, East London, which will provide training for construction workers.

The facility has been awarded National Skills Academy for Construction status by the sector skills council and industry training board, CITB-ConstructionSkills. Part of the council's wider bid to leave a lasting legacy from the 2012 Olympics, the centre is funded by the council, CITB-ConstructionSkills and the London Development Agency.

The Skills Funding Agency is also providing funding for the centre, which will offer courses in roofing, flooring, working at heights and scaffolding, as well as general construction. Training will be delivered through the National Construction College and aims to offer more than 100 apprenticeships a year to equip workers with fundamental skills.

WFC leader Chris Robbins said: "Facilities such as this improve the education and training of our residents and improve their chance of finding employment now and in the future."