Bradford should see the number of call centre workers double to 10,000 in the next few years.

The district currently has 5,000 people working in call centres - many of them due to the pioneering Call Centre Training Unit set up by Bradford Council two-and-a-half years ago. The unit itself has helped 500 people from the district gain jobs and, because it is known nationally, has helped attract call centre companies to the district.

The figures come from Bradford Council's Regeneration Division which has played a leading role, along with the district's Training & Enterprise Council, in bringing call centres to the district. The latest success stories are the IMS call centre at Steeton, where 400 jobs will be created, and Cox Insurance which has a call centre in Little Germany, Bradford.

These two are highlighted in a report to next Tuesday's meeting of Bradford Council Economic Strategy Sub-committee.

The report is urging councillors to approve a submission for £10,000 to be spent on promoting the district's call centres next year and in 2001.

It says there is a need to invest in the Call Centre Training Unit to make sure it can cope with new demands place on it, such as training staff in Internet systems. The report says employment in call centres has doubled in the last three years.

Some 2,000 call centre jobs have been brought to the district over the same period of time and it is estimated 5,000 people work in the industry in the Bradford area.

Firms with call centres which have been helped by the Unit include ISA International, Grattan, Abbey National, NatWest, Green Flag, Yorkshire Water, IMS, First Direct, Privilege Insurance, H C Slingsby, CCL and BT Mobile.

The sub-committee's chairman, Councillor John Prestage, said: "We are delighted at the progress which has been made on call centres in Bradford. We recognise that there is a need to build on this success and to keep abreast of technological and business developments."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.