A NEW training centre in in Bradford city centre will officially be opened today.

Qube Learning, which specialises in vocational courses, short courses and e-learning is opening the unit on Rawson Place as part of an expansion of its trainee and apprenticeship programme in the city.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Abid Hussain will open the unit, a former hairdressers that had been empty for some time, on the last day of National Apprentice Week.

The new Kickstart centre will make it easier for the people of Bradford to access the group’s further education services. The centre will be open to people looking for training to help gain employment, or to train in new skills to help them progress in their existing job role.

Qube already works with a number of employers across the city providing places within the childcare, retail and social care sectors. With the opening of the new centre, Qube aims to continue to offer individuals the chance to look at alternative education routes to university. It has created one permanent job.

Adrian Grove, business development director at Qube Learning said: “Bradford is currently undergoing a lot of regeneration and there is a growing demand from local businesses to recruit and train new members of staff. We have already seen success in the area placing individuals in apprentice and trainee roles across different vocational areas, and we hope that this new education hub will help us continue this positive work.

“The new Kickstart centre will work on a drop-in basis and will be open to anyone over the age of 16+ who would like advice on next steps for their career.

“We look forward to welcoming and assisting many members of the city at the centre, this is an exciting time for us as a business to be able to assist and see people’s education and work journeys progress optimistically.”

The centre will consist of a large reception area, a training room, two interview rooms and comes equipped with a kitchen area and disabled access.