Thirty growing Bradford businesses are to get a boost thanks to a management course launched today.

The names of managers who have won a place on the prestigious Business Masters development programme will be announced at the launch event tonight at the Bradford Management Centre.

Two of the 30 managers, from firms in the Bradford district, have won free places on the year-long course normally worth £11,000, thanks to the Telegraph & Argus. They won the places after filling in a coupon which appeared in the T&A and our Business Monthly supplement.

One of the bursary places was selected by Bradford Breakthrough and the other by Keighley Business Forum.

A third free place has been sponsored by Bradford Chamber of Commerce.

The 30 candidates were chosen after undergoing an assessment by specialists from the Management Centre.

Business Masters is an initiative by Bradford & District Training & Enterprise Council and Business Link Bradford & District, working with the Management Centre and fds Group, a Huddersfield-based corporate development organisation.

It is designed to fill a gap between conventional short courses and a business degree.

The successful candidates come from various business sectors including engineering, travel agents, graphic design, marketing, the food industry, insurance and quantity surveying.

David Willkinson, the TEC's chief executive, said today: "Everyone involved is delighted with the response and the fact that so many local businesses are prepared to make a significant investment in their future.

Robert McClements, chairman of executive programmes at the Management Centre, said: "The TEC is to be congratulated in having the vision to develop this initiative and meet the important challenge of improving the management skills of our smaller companies so that they can become bigger and more successful. This venture has had wonderful support from many organisations in the Bradford area."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.