The people of the Bradford district are the key to its success – that’s the clear message behind an ambitious plan to develop a more skilled and flexible workforce which has been published recently.

The Workforce Development Plan, entitled ‘People, Skills, and Prosperity; has been put together by Bradford Council and partner agencies in a bid to create a working population that has the skills to drive economic and business growth on.

And a key part of that will be inspiring young people to broaden their horizons and to believe they can have the future they want.

Cllr Imran Khan, Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills and Deputy Leader of the Council, is absolutely clear that the workforce is a vital part of continued growth for the district.

“The people of Bradford are key to the success of our district. A successful economy in Bradford is dependent on the skills of everyone who lives and works here. This plan will help us improve skills at every level, will support our local businesses and provide a better quality of life for our residents,” he said.

“The plan has been developed following extensive consultation with partners and is about enhancing and building on existing successes. It calls on everyone – business, education, families and individuals – to work together to create a skills system that works for everyone.”

The plan has three key aims – to ensure local people have the skills that employers need; to improve the quality of jobs in the district and to ensure good jobs and careers are available to all communities.

It brings together the Council, colleges, schools, employers and training providers to work more collaboratively, and is designed to complement the Bradford Economic Partnership’s ambitions for the district to become the UK’s fastest growing economy over the coming decade.

The key outcomes for the plan are for Bradford to be better than the UK average for productivity, jobs, earnings and skills. On current figures, this would mean by 2030 at least 20,000 more people in work and 48,000 more people would have a Level 3 qualification (A Level or equivalent).

The importance of such a plan to come up with ways to inspire young people is one that has been recognised by educators.

Speaking at the Bradford Council meeting earlier this year which agreed to adapt the new plan, Zoe Mawson, Beckfoot Heaton Primary School head, said one of the biggest challenges faced was that children didn’t have high expectations of themselves or their families.

“They didn’t see how their futures could be different. We wanted children to believe they could have the future they wanted,” she told the meeting.

 “You have to love learning, no matter what age you are.”

Zoe Mawson, Beckfoot Heaton Primary School

She said her school now regularly has visitors from different backgrounds, including people from various stages in their careers including apprentices and “people who work for the Queen.”

She said the performance of children in the school has since improved.

Mrs Mawson added: “What it has done is let them know the world is their oyster.”

And Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe agreed: “It is good to start young people’s aspirations early.

“It is good to see the breadth of activity in this report, but we recognise that there is much more work to be done.”

Councillor Khan said: “I’m really excited by this first step. It is not the end of the process by any means, but hearing from the speakers today I think we are moving in the right directions.”

The Industrial Centre of Excellence (ICE) programme is one example of the work the Council is doing to improve aspirations for young people and to inspire them to greater achievement is the. ICE is a unique and innovative programme in which the Bradford District is providing education for young people aged 14 to 19.

It brings together local and national businesses to work in partnership alongside schools, colleges and universities in the Bradford District. The aim is to develop a curriculum which aligns itself to the needs of industry and transforms the way in which organisations engage with schools and colleges.

The Council teamed up with Bradford University School of Management to celebrate the achievements of some of the young people who have participated in the programme, with more than 50 young people receiving awards.

They had all been nominated by their teachers or tutors for their outstanding hard work and dedication throughout their time on the ICE programme.

Student of the Year awards were handed out to students for their participation and achievement on the ICE Programme  for each sector – Business; Health and Social Care; Built Environment; Creative industries; Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering; Computing, Science and environmental technologies. Outstanding Student awards were presented in the following areas – Team work, Leadership, Resilience, Tenacity, Analytical Thinking, Self Confidence.

More than 15,000 young people across the district have or will be engaged in careers learning through the ICE Partnership this year, with more than 3,000 of these young people will be following a sector themed career learning pathway.

There are currently five ICE sectors across the Bradford District. They are the Centre of Excellence (CE) for Business; CE for the Built Environment; CE for Computing, Science and Environmental Technologies; CE for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering; and CE for Health and Social Care.

An ICE for Creative Digital and Art has just lauched and plans are also underway to launch three further ICE in 2020. These would be centres of excellence for transport and logistics; law and public services; and hospitality and tourism.

Coun Khan said: “It is right that we celebrate the achievements of the innovative Industrial Centres of Excellence programme. ICE offer a new and exciting way of delivering a curriculum for young people. It’s an initiative that supports students’ aspirations and will help them develop the high level skills employers need so they can get good quality jobs.

“The awards event was designed to celebrate the achievements of outstanding students who have participated in the Bradford District ICE programmes. It was also an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the positive contribution of schools, colleges and businesses who have assisted in making the ICE programme a real success.

“It was great to bring everyone together to reflect on and celebrate the excellent work being done to help young people gain qualifications, skills and experience that are planned around the requirements of local businesses.

“The work done with the ICEs is one great example of how all the partners encourage, inspire and develop young people and it is the kind of collaborative work that is central to the Skills Plan.”