Secondment of John Lewis employees at The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games(LOCOG) is already underway, according to the retailer.

Eleven secondees from John Lewis have started work on long-term placements of up to 18 months that aim to transfer knowledge and experience in areas including logistics, warehousing and recruitment, enabling partners to bring their retail experience to roles at LOCOG.

This marks the first stage of the department store’s pledge to provide 30,000 hours of Partner time, starting from the beginning of this year up to the start of the Games in July 2012.

A John Lewis spokesperson told Recruiter: “Eleven partners from around the business have already joined LOCOG, with an additional four partners due to start before early December. Our attention then turns to supporting the Games-time operation when we hope a further 20-30 partners will have the opportunity to be involved.

“As with any position within the partnership, our partners have submitted an online application, with the approval of their line manager, before each one is individually assessed. Those shortlisted partners are then seen by LOCOG for the final decision.

“In February, we held an open day to give partners the opportunity to really understand what the Olympic secondments were about and how this could enhance their career development. We have also used our in-house magazines and partner web pages to promote the Partners in Sport secondments.”

Following the placements, all secondees will return to a role at John Lewis.