Bradford to receive £1.25m for business and skills growth

Businesses and unemployed people in Bradford are set to benefit from more than £1 million in funding earmarked to stimulate growth in the city.

Councillors have revealed plans to spend the £1.25 million Advanced Skills Fund on improving skills and increasing job opportunities across the district, the Telegraph & Argus reports.

The cash injection is part of the local authority's Get Bradford Working programme, which is spending more than £9 million on helping individuals who are struggling to find jobs.

Council leader Dave Green has welcomed the fund, claiming it is sure to boost the local economy and restore morale.

He remarked it is sometimes forgotten that there are incredible companies in the city doing complex and cutting-edge manufacturing and design, adding: "This is what this fund is intended to do to give us the opportunity to blow Bradford's trumpet harder than we've ever done before."

The Advanced Skills Fund is set to run until 2016 and is hoping to improve business opportunities in a variety of ways, including financing online training for employees, education linked to business needs and apprenticeships.

It is also due to support employers in the area who are developing their companies and looking to take on skilled workers.

Local engineering company BorgWarner has revealed it will be offering jobs to 100 Bradford residents after securing a multi-million pound contract with Jaguar Land Rover.

Mr Green said the council is currently in talks with the firm to find out how the funding can be deployed to back its development and ensure local people can make the most of the employment and training opportunities on offer.

Elsewhere in West Yorkshire, e-learning provider Virtual College is providing ongoing support to employers taking on apprentices and young people wanting to get as much out of their placements as possible. The company's YP Training division currently has more than £1 million in government grants to supply digital educational resources to customers.