A proposed Bradford free school is being backed by an organisation representing some of the district’s biggest employers.

The team behind the Bradford District Free School plan to open it on the site of the Grade II listed Douglas Mill, off Manchester Road, in September 2012.

Its business case submission to the Department for Education (DfE) is now being backed by Bradford Break-through, an organisation comprising representatives from the public and private sector which exists to support job creation and the district’s economic development.

David Richardson, the organisation’s chief executive, who is also the chairman of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said companies associated with Bradford Break-through were keen to lend their support.

He said: “Like many cities, we are faced with a shortage of skills. The problem is particularly acute in Bradford, where we also have a rising population, a growing workforce and worrying levels of unemployment.

“Bradford needs young people who are able and motivated and we owe it to them to equip them with the skills they will need.

“It’s a tremendous bid and it hits the mark in terms of what employers across the country require.”

  • Read the full story in Friday's T&A