A pioneering project to help school leavers from ethnic backgrounds is proving to be a success.

The Black and Highly Visible scheme was launched two years ago with funding from the Single Regeneration Budget and support from Bradford & District Training & Enterprise Council.

The scheme, which encourages employers to offer work placements to students through the Training Credits scheme, has found jobs for eight young people.

Midland Bank manager Paul Fox is so impressed with the scheme that he has already recruited two students to work in branches in Keighley and Shipley. A spin-off was that a trainee place was found at the bank's Skipton branch for Tracey Lomax who was not part of the scheme.

The successful students were Sakander Najib who trained at Keighley Library and got a job at the town's Morrisons; Ferdousi Ali, who trained and got a job at Comet; Shaista Rashid, who trained at Meehan & Co chartered accountants and got a job in the admin department at Teconnex; Shazir Najib who trained and got a job at NatWest; Rukhsana Bashir, who got a job at the Midland Bank; Faruk Ali, who trained and got a job at the Keyhouse Project; Rozhbana Hussain who trained at Keighley College and gained work with the Probation Service; and Mothlubar Rehman who trained at the college and got a job at McDonalds.

Other organisations involved in the scheme include Barclays, Airedale Hospital, Keighley Leisure Centre, Bradford Council, The Body Shop, Sunwin House and MB Housing.

Project co-ordinator Jehan Khan said: "We are keen to get more companies and more students involved."

For more information contact Mr Khan on 01535 618548.

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