AS the Westfield development nears its completion date, more efforts are being made to make sure there are plenty of Bradfordians ready to work there.

Bradford College has created a number of retail and leisure courses to help people secure some of the 2,500 retail positions expected to be created when Broadway Shopping Centre opens later this year.

This will be complemented by a council-run retail academy, called the Skillshouse, that will open in May and act as a finishing school for people before they start work in the centre.

The £260m retail outlet will include over 70 new retail units, public spaces, restaurants and cafes and over 1,300 car parking spaces.

Like most retail developments, Westfield expects a staff turnover rate of between 20 and 25 per cent. This would require a regular supply of about 400 to 500 people a year to fill these vacancies.

Bradford College will deliver specifically designed retail and leisure courses with the aim of providing a supply of trained staff when the centre opens. The courses will include Retail, Hospitality, Customer Services, IT and Security.

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Stephanie Tinsley, Interim Vice Principal Further Education, said: “Bradford College is able to offer a vast range of courses that will provide the competitive edge at interview for people aspiring to gaining employment with retail outlets in the shopping centre and to employers to upskill their staff.”

SkillsHouse, the council's £1.4 million retail academy, will open in May in Kershaw House, near the development. Councillor Susan Hinchliffe, executive for employment skills and culture, said: "It will not just be for Westfield tenants, but also for businesses in the wider Bradford area who have vacancies and skills needs.

"Partners like Bradford College are working with us now to provide those courses that people need to get themselves in pole position. Then it's up to SkillsHouse to act as the 'finishing school' to liaise with the businesses and promote the right candidates with the right skills.

"We've been holding consultation events so that everyone knows the recruitment timescales for The Broadway as well as talking about the key skills which will be in most demand."

A Westfield spokesman said: "We’re very pleased, in anticipation of the creation of these new jobs, to be working closely with Bradford Council, ensuring local people are equipped with the right skills and given the right training to fill these new roles.”

Westfield has also joined Morrisons as one of the new businesses to start work with the Shipley College based Centre of Excellence for Business, which works across Shipley College, Titus Salt School and Carlton Bolling School.

Principal Nav Chohan said: “The new opportunities at Westfield and at Morrisons’ headquarters are perfect for our students, and we are very grateful to the companies for joining us; having companies involved with teaching is so exciting for our students."