Bosses at one of Bradford’s biggest employers are braced for a rush of applications from graduates seeking places on a paid training programme.

Yorkshire Water has launched a search for new recruits to its graduate training scheme, whose beneficiaries include the current chief executive Richard Flint. The programme paves the way for recruits to work in a variety of roles including in IT, customer services, production, engineering and finance and regulation.

Yorkshire Water runs the graduate programme alongside its apprentice scheme, which this year attracted a record 600 applications for just 16 apprenticeships leading to new roles being created for school-leavers to meet demand.

New graduate recruits will enter a two-year development programme, spending time working in a variety of areas, with a view to securing a permanent job after completing the scheme.

Graduate scheme co-ordinator Amin Daji said: “While tough economic times have seen many companies downsize or scrap their graduate programme altogether, we're continuing to develop and grow our graduate programme.

“Our graduate programme is extremely well respected both outside and within the business, with some of our most senior members of staff having first joined us on the programme, including our current chief executive Richard Flint. With places on graduate schemes generally at a premium throughout the country, we're expecting this year to be a bumper one for both the number and quality of applications.”

To apply for a place on the graduate scheme visit yorkshirewater.com/ careers.

The section also contains tips to consider when completing an application form. The deadline is December 2.

Yorkshire Water received the highest number of applications for apprenticeship training since it launched the scheme in 2010. Since then, 41 apprentices have been recruited to the two-year programme which includes college study and mentoring by a ‘buddy’.

Yorkshire Water boss Richard Flint said the Kelda Group, which owns the utility business and its Loop call centre at Thornbury, said Bradford was a good place form which to operate the £5 billion business which centralised its operations here 15 years ago and employs 2,000 people locally.

He told guests at the Aagrah business and charity dinner this week: “Bradford is a city that has many reasons to be optimistic.

“Kelda chose Bradford because of its diversity which is one of its strengths.

“Today the city has the fastest growing youth population in the country which presents us with plenty of opportunities as well as challenges.”