Travel company Thomas Cook wants to change the age profile of its workforce to make it more representative of its customer base.

The business, which employs more than 350 staff at its call centre in Bradford, plans to join the growing band of firms looking to tap into the "grey" labour market.

And it has announced a series of measures to make the company a more attractive place for older people.

Manny Fontenla-Novoa, chief executive of Thomas Cook UK and Ireland, said it wanted to recruit 1,000 new employees. "Our most loyal customers explain that they come back to Thomas Cook because of the sales consultants' expertise," he said. "As a company, we have been advising on travel for 160 years and it is our consultants who reflect this expertise in their knowledge of travel and destinations."

He said the company wanted its employee profile to be more representative of its customer base, in terms of age, background and experience, and was keen to recruit older workers and returning mums.

Alan Gleghorn, business service manager at new Bradford employment firm Blue Tree, which specialises in finding jobs for more mature applicants, welcomed Thomas Cook's move.

He said other firms such as Asda and B&Q had enjoyed a lot of success by employing older staff.

Mr Fontenla-Novoa added: "Among our top sellers, 20 per cent work part-time and 32 per cent are aged over 50. That's why we are looking to offer further opportunities to mums and older workers. Our customers can really relate to them."

Thomas Cook was this month named as an Employer Champion by Age Positive, the Government campaign to eradicate age discrimination in the workplace.