Bradford College was named today as one of the country's top 16 'Pathfinder' colleges.

The college, West Yorkshire's largest, has been selected as a Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) by the Learning and Skills Council.

That puts it in the first wave of a three-year, £100 million scheme to improve vocational skills.

It will now be expected to share its good practice with other, less go-ahead institutions.

The college was selected on the basis of its Applied Science department, which has been praised for running courses specifically geared to industry. Some of its courses are unique in the UK.

Margaret Coleman, executive director at the Learning and Skills Council for West Yorkshire, said: "The centre provides innovative and creative courses in a range of scientific areas, including cosmetic science. It provides extremely effective teaching, by staff with recent industrial experience, and has got lots of good learning materials. There's no other college in the country doing what Bradford is doing - some of the courses are unique."

Pathfinder colleges like Bradford will now set the standard for other general further education colleges to follow.

The Learning and Skills Council has set a goal that, by 2004, half of all general FE colleges in England will have at least one department that has achieved CoVE status.

"We need colleges that are fast moving, first to respond to change and that can give both adults and young people access to the enhanced vocational learning they need to succeed in a modern economy," Mrs Coleman said.

Kath Oldale, head of the science department, said the college was proud to be a trailblazer. "It is excellent news for the College and the people of Bradford," she said. "This award will result in substantial investment, which will further enhance our existing state-of-the-art facilities."

Diverse courses on offer include those aimed at dispensing opticians, pharmaceutical technicians and subjects allied to medicine, which lead to good career opportunities. Many courses are unique to the College and are endorsed by employers and national professional associations.

The science department was the only one in the country to be awarded the highest possible grade by the Government Inspectorate.

John Healey, Adult Skills Minister, welcomed the announcement.

He said: "Centres of Vocational Excellence will play an essential economic role by giving individuals the skills they need to enable them to find work in a fast-changing jobs market and providing businesses with the skilled workers they need to succeed.

"With £100 million to be invested in new Centres, we want them to be at the forefront of raising standards and boosting skills."