INSPIRING young people to expand their horizons is one of the aims of a new skills plan approved by Bradford Council bosses yesterday.

The Council’s decision making Executive yesterday approved the Council’s new Workforce Development Plan, called People, Skills, Prosperity.

It has has been developed by the Council and a number of partner organisations, and sets out how they will work together to improve the local employment scene.

One of the biggest challenges was that children didn’t have high expectations of themselves or their families. They didn’t see how their futures could be different. We wanted children to believe they could have the future they wanted" - Zoe Mawson, Beckfoot Heaton Primary School head

Its aims are to ensure local people have the skills that employers need; to improve the quality of jobs in the district and to ensure good jobs and careers are available to all communities.

The key outcomes for the plan is for Bradford to be better than the UK average for productivity, jobs, earnings and skills.

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On current figures, this would mean by 2030 at least 20,000 more people in work and 48,000 more people would have a Level 3 qualification (A level or equivalent).

Zoe Mawson, head of Beckfoot Heaton Primary School, was one of the people discussing the plan at the meeting. She said: “Three years ago we weren’t giving a good education to our children.

“One of the biggest challenges was that children didn’t have high expectations of themselves or their families.

“They didn’t see how their futures could be different. We wanted children to believe they could have the future they wanted.

“You have to love learning, no matter what age you are.”

She said the school now regularly has visitors from different backgrounds, including including people from various stages in their careers including apprentices and “people who work for the Queen.”

Mrs Mawson added: “What it’s done is let them know the world is their oyster.”

She said the performance of children in the school has since improved.

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “It is good to start young people’s aspirations early.

“It is good to see the breadth of of activity in this report, but we recognise that there is much more work to be done.”

Councillor Debbie Davies (Cons, Baildon) said the financing of the plan “seems very vague” and asked how much of it would be funded by existing resources.

Phil Hunter, strategy manager employment and skills, said funding had been made available from the EU, and that funding would continue even when Britain leaves the EU.

Councillor Imran Khan, Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills, said: “I’m really excited by this first step. It is not the end of the process by any means, but hearing from the speakers today I think we are moving in the right directions.”