A CHARITY which supports homeless teenagers will help prepare youths for catering jobs after building a new training kitchen.

Centrepoint, with the help of construction company Willmott Dixon, has created the facility in the Bradford Training Centre.

The charity hopes to gain a City and Guilds accreditation before offering level one qualifications in food handling to homeless young people who are looking for work in the catering and service sectors.

Michael Glenn, Centrepoint’s head of skills and employment, said: “We’re very grateful Willmott Dixon for helping to bring this project to life with their design and construction skills.

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“It’s been a real community effort of with loads of different organisations coming on board to help us out. The kitchen looks fantastic and the young people are already excited about using it.

“A key part of Centrepoint’s work is providing young people with the basic skills they need to live independently. This kitchen gives us the means to do that, but our ambition doesn’t stop there.

“We want this to become a first-class training kitchen for young people across the city to access and learn a trade that will give them the confidence and certification they need to secure work in the catering industry.”

Before the building work began, representatives of Willmott Dixon took a group of Centrepoint youngsters from Bradford on a teambuilding outdoor pursuits trip to Wales.

One of the group, Ishy Bhuru, impressed organisers so much over the course of his time with them they offered him the opportunity to help build the training kitchen.

Ishy, 19, who came to Centrepoint after arguments with his family left him with nowhere else to go, said: “Going to Wales was great. I’d never been canoeing or walking in mines. It was great to get away from the day-to-day and do something I hadn’t done before.

“It’s been good this week, we’ve knocked through walls, painted the room and installed the kitchen.

“I’ve just finished a bricklaying course in college but I’ve not been able to find an apprenticeship yet.

“It’s a problem for young people in Bradford, there’s not a lot around for us.

“But Centrepoint are helping me, the trip to Wales was great and they’re also working with me to get through college and enabling me to look for jobs.”

As well as the Willmott Dixon company, Centrepoint received help and support for the kitchen project from the Yorkshire Lions, Sir George Martin Trust and West Yorkshire police and crime commissioner.