BUDDING young entrepreneurs are to get support from a Bradford-based business through a new four year partnership.

Motors business JCT600 has become a patron of The Prince's Trust, a charity which helps 13 to 30 year olds who are unemployed or struggling at school to transform their lives.

Staff at the family-run business,which has around 50 dealerships across the North and is celebrating its 70th anniversary, chose to support The Prince's Trust, which is marking its 40th birthday .

In addition to fundraising by its staff, JCT600 will work closely with the charity, providing opportunities for its employees to work with young people through The Prince's Trust, providing coaching and mentoring support.

The decision to back The Prince's Trust is in line with JCT600's policy of providing work and training opportunities, including taking on more than 100 apprentices over the last three years as part of its 2,300-strong workforce. .

The company was also recently named in the Sunday Times ‘Best 100 Companies to Work For’ list in recognition of its employee engagement.

John Tordoff, JCT600 chief executive, said: “With both organisations celebrating a milestone anniversary this year and sharing a common goal to inspire young people and improve their work opportunities, joining forces with The Prince’s Trust seems a perfect fit .

“Our team has shown enormous enthusiasm and commitment to supporting our annual charities over the last four years, but we felt that embarking on a longer relationship would allow us to have an even greater impact, particularly as we have such strong synergies with The Prince’s Trust.

“This partnership sees us go beyond purely fundraising as we seek to share our team’s expertise as mentors and coaches as well as providing the opportunity to give young people from the charity an insight into our business.

" We hope it will be a mutually beneficial relationship with our managers also able to use their interaction with the charity to fine tune their communication, training and leadership skills.”

Paul Rose, chairman of The Prince’s Trust Yorkshire development committee, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome JCT600 as a patron. The funds raised through this partnership are essential if The Trust is to continue to deliver its crucial work across the region, helping young people into education, training and employment.

"With this support we can make a real difference, helping us directly support the lives of disadvantaged young people in Yorkshire and the Humber.”