Bradford's successful Call Centre Training Unit is expanding thanks to increas-ed demand for call centre staff.

And the unit has shopped locally to install a call centre system in its new training room.

The unit, run by Bradford Council, has had a Samsung system installed at its Neal Street premises by Keighley-based firm Link Telecom.

It has recently been expanded as the demand for call centre training grows. It now has four training rooms - one using the Link Telecom system - and can cope with 40 trainees at a time.

Karen Smith from the unit, which has just taken on Stuart White as its new manager, said: "This system allows the unit to more effectively enhance training provision."

Some 5,000 people are believed to work in call centres in the district and that figure is set to double in the next few years.

The unit, which started nearly four years ago, has found work for 500 people in call centres across the region. Its clients include Bradford mail order giant Grattan, NatWest, Abbey National, BT Cellnet and IMS of Steeton.

Other Bradford firms are still creating call centre jobs with the latest being Cox Insurance which has already taken on 250 workers from the district for its Wells Street offices - and plans to double that figure in the next 12 months.

The Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society is also creating 300 jobs at its new £10 million call centre on the City Park estate near where the NatWest has already employed 350 people at its own new call centre.

Link Telecom director Mike Bower said today: "The region is now well-known for its expertise in the booming call centre arena. We are making substantial inroads into this growing market as a leading supplier and installer of call centre systems."

The Call Centre Training Unit started life with one trainer and a single training room at Bradford Itec's Broomfield House.

But in the last few years thousands of jobs have been created in call centres in the district and many more are on the cards.

Simon Cooke, Bradford Coun-cil's executive member for regeneration, said: "Businesses across the region have benefited significantly from the Call Centre Training Unit.

"The unit continues to provide local people with the right skills for this expanding sector. It is a shining example of our regeneration role to create new jobs for local people and support business expansion across the district."