Many young people who leave school and are keen to enter the world of work often find they are told that further education is the key to getting a foothold on the career ladder.

Not everyone, however, is suited to continuing academic study, but that does not for a minute mean that they do not have valuable skills that should be developed and improved.

Indeed, what we hear time and time again from employers in Bradford is that there are job vacancies out there but we don’t seem to be turning out young people from education with the relevant skills.

So a new initiative to mould “job-ready” youngsters for the construction industry is definitely what is needed in this area.

The scheme between Bradford College, Tong High School, Carlton Bolling College and several leading businesses in the construction industry could be the shot in the arm that the battle against youth unemployment needs.

There is a great danger of disenfranchising those young people who do not go on to further study but can’t get into the world of work because they haven’t fully developed their skills. This initiative is a fine example of how local young people can be primed to take jobs being offered by local firms.

With the housing market showing signs of recovery the construction industry will follow suit, and it is the ideal to offer this opportunity for Bradford’s youths to make themselves as competitive as possible.

It supports everything the Telegraph & Argus has been fighting for with our Foundation for Jobs campaign, aimed at tackling the blight of youth unemployment, and creates a solid foundation to build on for the future.