A go-getting Bradford school has been given a £20,000 donation to help train youngsters for the motor trade.

Laisterdyke High School is bidding to become a specialist college for business and enterprise.

If successful, classes will be enhanced with new courses to give students trade skills in motor maintenance or plumbing, and tempt high fliers with business administration or sales training. The aim is to turn out more employable youngsters.

But the school has only days to raise another £11,000 from private sponsors as it needs pledges of £50,000 to make the bid to the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Today head teacher Joan Law appealed to readers of the Telegraph & Argus to help the school with its pioneering plans by pledging cash donations.

If the school is awarded Business and Enterprise College status it would be the first in the district, and would earn extra funding of £600,000 over four years.

It has managed to raise £39,000 in private sponsorship. Mrs Law said businesses which supported the bid would benefit from positive publicity while a new enterprise centre at the school would be open to use by community groups in the evenings.

A large chunk of the donations, £20,000, has come from ReMIT, Retail Motor Industry Training Ltd. The school has agreed to work with the group to deliver relevant trade qualifications, including mechanical engineering, business administration and customer service.

Other donations have come from the Institute of Plumbers, IMI, and Bradford firms Akbar's Balti Restaurant, NH Hardware, Amas Foods, and Viraj Saree Centre.

"This allows us to attempt to address some of the skills shortages in the area," said Mrs Law. "Students will have the opportunity to develop trade skills, along with the strong core curriculum of literacy, numeracy and ICT.

"We have to make our youngsters more employable in the future. We want to raise aspirations."

A Department for Education and Skills spokesman said: "As a specialist college, you do still have to raise £50,000 sponsorship.

"But as of October this year you can apply to a partnership fund run by the Specialist Schools Trust. It is in a position to reward schools and colleges that have been having difficulties raising the £50,000 but can show they have made efforts to raise the money but have been unsuccessful."

Anyone who wants to help Laisterdyke can contact Julia Wright at the school on (01274) 401140.

Firms are being asked to sign a pledge letter for a monetary donation, or pledge to donate relevant equipment or vehicles.