Two-thirds of young people in Bradford think life is harder than ever for the unemployed, and one in five think that finding a job in the next year is unachievable.

Those are findings from a report by youth charity the Prince’s Trust and the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Half the 62 young people surveyed in Bradford think finding a job is harder than it was this time last year, and more than a third hadn’t received any responses to job applications over the past year.

Last week the Telegraph & Argus reported that unemployment has soared in the Bradford district by more than 17 per cent in a year. Last month dole queues districtwide grew to 19,898 from 19,614 in June. Of those, 5,955 are people aged 18 to 24. The picture for young people is worsening dramatically with long-term unemployment among the 18 to 24s rocketing by 860 per cent since July last year.

While the Prince’s Trust report reflects a pessimistic outlook on youth employment, there is a shred of hope. More than half the 16 to 30-year-olds interviewed believe setting up in business would give them a sense of achievement and purpose, and two fifths feel this is a viable route out of unemployment.

The Prince’s Trust is encouraging young people to consider self-employment and has launched an A-Z of Young Businesses, celebrating those who have bucked the unemployment trend by setting up on their own, with the support of the trust’s Enterprise programme.

Spokesman Chris Peake says: “It is clear that it’s a difficult time for young people in Bradford as they’re becoming increasingly disillusioned with their lives. We need to ensure they are receiving the right support to help them find work.

“Setting up in business can be an escape route out of the dole queue for these young people. Many of the disadvantaged young people we have helped through our Enterprise programme have gone from joblessness to being their own boss and employing others too.”

Prince Charles’s charity helps disadvantaged young people get their lives on track. It supports 13 to 30-year-olds who are unemployed, struggling at school or at risk of exclusion.

Many of them are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health problems, or have been in trouble with the law. The trust’s programmes provide practical and financial support, helping young people develop self-esteem and skills for work.

One of the charity’s successes is Steven Frayne, a boy from Bradford’s Delph Hill estate who took a shine to a pack of playing cards.

Spending months in hospital as a teenager suffering from Crohn’s Disease, the boy they called Dynamo took stock of his life and decided to make a go of his skills as a budding magician.

He went on to receive £2,000 from the Prince’s Trust to make a DVD showcasing his talents, and is now the country’s hottest young star, and one of the world’s most in-demand urban magicians.

“The Prince’s Trust turned my life around,” said Dynamo, who is now an ambassador for the charity.

Arfan Naseer, 30, from Bradford, got in with gangs in his early teens and by the age of 21 he was given a nine-year prison sentence for a drug-related offence. It was in prison that Arfan, known as Naz, decided to try and build a better future for himself, and got involved with the Prince’s Trust Team Enterprise programme.

After completion of the programme, Naz worked with the trust for two years, initially visiting schools to talk about life in prison and later offering support, training and guidance to young adults aspiring to become youth workers, before setting up his own social enterprise Con-Sequence, working with Bradford Council and the police to deter young people from a life of crime.

Naz, who visits youth centres and schools, currently employs five outreach workers, all ex-offenders. His organisation has helped 1,400 young people at risk of offending.

“Without the Prince’s Trust I don’t know where I would be today,” says Naz. “Many of the young people I work with don’t have positive role models in their lives. I try and help them see an alternative path by trying to make them learn from my mistakes.”

l The A-Z of Young Businesses, supported by RBS, showcases 26 of the young people supported into business by the Enterprise scheme. It is released daily on facebook. com/princestrust and at princes-trust.org.uk.

For more about the Prince’s Trust ring 0800 842842.