Hundreds of new jobs are to be created in some of Bradford's most economically-deprived areas by the end of the year, thanks to a new scheme.

Some of the city's major employers are taking part in the project which aims to increase the skills of those in Bradford's five most deprived wards.

Bradford was chosen as one of three places in the country to pilot Fair Cities initiative which works in the University, Toller, Bradford Moor, Little Horton and Bowling wards.

Last year they accounted for 22,000 people of working age who were either unemployed or economically inactive neither working nor claiming unemployment benefit a third of the total figure for the district.

James Murgatroyd, director of the Fair Cities in Bradford, said it was all about matching the right jobs with the right candidates.

Fair Cities works directly with the chief executives of companies who provide strategic direction to the initiative and access to many job vacancies at all levels of skill and salaries.

It discovers what skills these companies require for a particular role and makes sure the potential employee has exactly the right training. More than 90 per cent of those people put forward by Fair Cities succeeded in interview. Among the major employers working with Mr Murgatroyd are Grattan, Bradford & Bingley, Yorkshire Water, Provident Financial and the Yorkshire Building Society.

Since the scheme was launched last year Mr Murgatroyd said about 100 people had got permanent roles. He hopes it will be hundreds later in the year and 2,000 by March, 2008.

It is a scheme which is local to Mr Murgatroyd's heart because he was brought up and had a paper round in Bradford Moor. He said: "I want to make Bradford a better place and the best way to do it is to make it a more prosperous place. I want employers to get involved because it makes business sense," he said.

Iain Cornish, chief executive of the YBS is also chairman of the Fair Cities board. He said the support business had given the Bradford pilot had made it the best in the country.

He said there were two reasons the mutual was taking part: "Firstly it is because we feel we are part of Bradford and we have a responsibility to the city. Just as importantly we think it is very important we look for talent throughout the city of Bradford that might want to come and work for us."

e-mail: richard.woodward@bradford.newsquest.co.uk