A £1.4 MILLION retail academy is to be set up shortly to provide a "finishing school" for people looking to work in The Broadway shopping centre once it opens later this year.

The scheme, which is part of the Get Bradford Working programme, will open this spring to deliver tailored retail training programmes to help people land some of the 2,000 retail jobs that will be created when the centre opens.

The retail academy is designed to provide a supply of trained staff for The Broadway and wider city centre. Bradford Council has been in discussion with the stores signed up to the shopping centre to fully understand their requirements.

It is expected that retailers will require recruitment assistance in the build-up to the centre opening, which will mean a wide range of employment opportunities locally, in roles such as managerial, administrative and shop floor, across a range of disciplines, such as retail, hospitality and customer services.

The anchor stores - Debenhams and Marks & Spencer - are expected to begin recruiting staff two to three months ahead of opening, while for the other stores it could be four weeks before the opening.

In addition the labour supply will need to be sustained after The Broadway opens, as a staff turnover rate of 20 to 25 per cent is expected by Westfield based on previous experience.

This would require a regular supply of about 400 to 500 people a year to fill these vacancies.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, the Council's portfolio holder for employment, skills and culture, said: "The Westfield development is a great employment opportunity for the district with more than 2,000 jobs up for grabs.

COMMENT: RETAIL TRAINING VITAL TO GETTING SERVICE RIGHT

"Our investment in the Retail Academy is vital to make sure that local people are linked to these opportunities. When the retailers are ready to recruit, we'll have strong talent from Bradford who are well prepared to get those jobs."

In a report to the authority's regeneration and economy overview and scrutiny committee, strategic directors Mike Cowlam (regeneration and culture) and Michael Jameson (children's services), state: "Plans are at an advanced stage to open the retail academy in spring 2015.

"A suitable location has been identified at Kershaw House, immediately adjacent to The Broadway. The academy will delivery tailored retail training programmes that meet the needs of the employers and students, which may also include extended periods of work experience in the participating business.

"The training programme will be specifically designed to meet the employment standards for the individual business, in line with those agreed by the National Skills Academy for Retail."

The report adds: "It is also expected that the opening of The Broadway will generate employment opportunities within the wider visitor economy sectors and these too will be targeted by the retail academy."

Members of the scrutiny panel will discuss the retail academy, which forms part of an update on The Broadway, at a meeting on Thursday at Bradford City Hall.

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