Many Bradford youngsters are in danger of getting caught in a cycle of worklessness, a youth charity warned today after it was revealed that one in five children in the city is growing up in a household where no-one works.

Bradford fares worse than the Yorkshire and the Humber average where 18 per cent of youngsters are growing up in jobless families.

A report, released by The Prince’s Trust and Qa Research, revealed 23,000 children in the city are growing up in a workless household – and young people from families where no-one works are more likely to struggle to find work themselves than those whose parents do work.

More than one in ten young people in Yorkshire and The Humber are expecting to end up on benefits because their family has done, while more than one in five feel their parents are not capable of helping them find a job, the report found.

It also showed young people whose parents do not work are twice as likely as their peers to feel they have no skills or talents.

Samantha Kennedy, the Prince’s Trust acting regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Too many of Bradford’s young people are facing a cycle of worklessness and can’t see a way out. It is a tragedy to think that so many feel condemned to a life on benefits.

“Only by giving young people skills, confidence and positive role models can we help them break out of this unemployment trap.

“If we fail to stop these disadvantaged young people becoming disadvantaged adults, this cycle will continue to blight these families for generations to come.”

The charity is working in partnership with Bradford Council and businesses to give the district’s young people the chance to set up in business or the skills and confidence to find work.

The trust helps more than 3,500 vulnerable young people each year in the region, giving them the skills and confidence to find a job.

More than eight in ten of those on its schemes move into work, education or training.