BRADFORD FIGHTS BACK AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT - WILL OTHER COUNCILS FOLLOW?

Don't worry -- Bradford is trying to help you

The town where I  live  is taking a real stand against unemployment. which has been traditionally high in this local area, especially in inner city Bradford. The Council has unveiled its plans for a four-pronged £7.7 million programme to Get Bradford Working, creating more than 1,000 jobs, apprenticeships and work placements in a bid to tackle the high levels of unemployment in the district.

The ambitious plans are intended to create 390 new jobs, 400 new apprenticeships, and 300 work experience placements across Bradford over the next two years. They will also include the creation of studio schools where young people would be taught the skills that employers really do require. Get Bradford Working is made up of four elements – a job creation fund, industrial centres of excellence, a routes into work scheme and a proposed apprenticeship training agency. There is the intention of introducing paths to 600 new qualifications and 5 new industrial training centres catering for 1,500 people.

The largest portion of the funding, £4.5m – approved in the Council’s budget earlier this year – would be for the employment opportunities fund which would see an estimated 350 temporary jobs created over the next two years. Hopefully these can be sustained and turned into permanent jobs.

The £1.8m industrial centres of excellence scheme would focus on key business growth sectors, such as health care technologies and advanced engineering, and make sure 14 to 19-year-olds are being taught the skills wanted by employers.

Barriers to getting work such as mental health issues, disabilities, English language problems and age are also intended to be addressed. Bradford  University graduates will be offered internships with local firms to stay in Bradford.

Unemployment in the district is currently higher than the national average, at 5.9 per cent compared to four per cent in the UK. Youth unemployment (people aged 18 to 24) in Bradford is 10.7 per cent compared to 8.9 per cent in West Yorkshire and 7.9 per cent in UK. With the recent closure of the Thomas Cook Office in Bradford with the loss of 468 jobs such a scheme is a critical requirement.

How many other councils will follow? To tackle the key issue of youth unemployment such similar and possibly bolder schemes will need to be introduced elsewhere in the UK. Austerity will not turn Britain around on its own  Schemes like this could make a big difference to youth unemployment and other councils need to be braver and pursue some similar initiatives to alleviate the problems of young job seekers. We do need to assist this jobless generation to achieve something. I am proud of what my former authority is trying to achieve here. For once it is showing great leadership in difficult economic times.

Please see:

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/9762984.__7_7m_scheme_for_new_jobs_by_Bradford_Council/