Bradford is changing from the Metropolis of Wool to Call-Centre City. Business Editor Paul Parker reports.

BRADFORD IS winning an international reputation as a call-centre city.

People are coming from across the globe to find out why we are so good at the call-centre industry. The warm and friendly Yorkshire accent helps, along with a workforce willing to be flexible.

For years, the city was the wool centre of the world and J B Priestley dubbed it Worstedopolis. Now much of traditional industry has been swept away to be replaced by the service industry which fits in with one of Bradford's ambitions - to be Call Centre City.

This ambition was given a further boost by yesterday's announcement that planning permission had been given to Harrogate-based property developers Gregory Properties to build a call centre, offices, three drive-in diners and a pub/restaurant at Thornbury.

The development could create 1,500 jobs and Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood has welcomed the decision, saying: "I think this clearly demonstrates that we are becoming the call-centre capital of the country."

He was joined by David Wilkinson, Bradford TEC's chief executive, who said: "It is very good news to see that Bradford is an attractive place for call-centre operators. We work very closely with the local authority to make sure the firms have sufficient people."

Over the past few years, a total of 20,000 jobs have been created in the West Yorkshire call-centre industry with 4,000 of them in Bradford.

And the city's success story is reaching people from across the world. The Yorkshire Water call centre in Buttershaw division has won the praises of businesses from China, Australia, Brazil and the USA who have visited it.

Call-centre manager Richard Lee said the 150 workers at the prestigious office block off Halifax Road were given good-quality training and used state-of-the-art computer equipment. He said: "People want to see our call centre because it is technologically advanced and the water industry regulatory body Ofwat recently put us top of the league for our response time."

One of the main reasons for its success is that call-centre work is attractive to people who would find it difficult to work in other jobs because it offers flexible hours which attract people who live in the area. Another reason is the success of Bradford Council's Call Centre Training Unit in Neale Street, which has placed more than 200 people into call centres in Bradford and Leeds in under two years.

The centre feeds trainees into posts advertised locally by Abbey National, Grattan, BT Mobile, Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire Cable, British Gas, First Direct, Green Flag and NatWest.

Green Flag is very much an international company and needs call-centre workers with languages - not just French or German, but Urdu, Russian, Polish and Serbo Croat.

The international flavour of the industry comes across at Global Response, a firm started by Stephen Mattison and Jennifer Ward two years ago.

The Little Germany firm offers customer service and helplines, back-up for direct mail or TV advertising in the UK and abroad.

Carole King, Bradford Chamber of Commerce policy executive, said: "People say call centres will be short-term businesses. But we think they are the start of a new way of working."

6,000 manning phones by year 2002

Call centres account for 4,000 workers in the Bradford area - about 1.5 per cent of the district's workforce.

A report by Bradford Council and Bradford & District Training & Enterprise Council predicts this figure could rise to 6,000 by the year 2002.

Many of the jobs are at large employers such as Grattan, which currently employs more than 500 in its call centre off Ingleby Road and is planning to create a further 350 jobs in a new business with supermarket chain Tesco. Abbey National employs a total of 400 people at two centres and plans to employ up to 120 extra next year.

Colonnade Direct in Halifax, part of the Bradford-based Provident Financial Group, employs 280 staff and is planning to recruit 100 more next year.

The Bradford & Bingley has more than 60 people answering customer queries at its Bingley offices and also has a main call centre in Leamington Spa.

Yorkshire Electricity employs 275 at its call centre in Parry Lane, Bradford, and Yorkshire Water has 150 in its centre at Buttershaw. Computer-consumable firm ISA International has around 140 involved in telesales and customer services.

Natwest is in the middle of moving its 200 Prime Line direct-banking staff from Bolton Road to a new building in Filey Street, where 150 extra jobs will be created.

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