£1.4m jobs boost for Bradford

BRADFORD Council is investing a further £1.4m into its Get Bradford Working programme.
 
Get Bradford Working has so far supported over 550 unemployed people back into work and created over 300 new job and apprenticeship roles by working with local employers.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, executive member for Employment, Skills and Culture, said: “The Council sees boosting employment for local people as a top priority which is why we have committed further funding to the scheme.”
 
The scheme consists of a number of initiatives such as the Routes into Work Fund, the Employment Opportunities Fund and an Apprenticeship Training Agency.
 
The £1.4m will be allocated to the Routes into Work Fund which commissions employment and skills activities for some of the district’s most disadvantaged residents.
 
The latest proposal to boost local peoples’ skills is to create a Retail Academy to work alongside Westfield and other existing retailers, Jobcentre Plus and employment agencies.
 
More than 2,000 jobs will be generated by the Broadway project being developed by Wesfield and Meyer Bergman.  The Retail Academy will help people to have the right skills, attributes and qualifications for when the retailers start recruiting.
 
The Council is also seeking to prolong the Employment Opportunities Fund using external funding from Leeds City Region which will create additional jobs.
 
The Council has already invested over £10m so far into its Get Bradford Working scheme and in so doing has levered in funding from other agencies amounting to £6.5m.