Bradford is set to receive a cash boost of up to £6 million to tackle a skills shortage in the district's workforce.

More than a quarter of the district's working age population have poor numeracy or literacy skills - which is worse than the national average - and 15 per cent have no qualifications at all.

Now training providers in the city are being urged to apply for a pot of cash to help tackle the situation.

The money is being supplied to help 1,500 people develop new skills, 530 people achieve NVQs and help 180 people into new jobs.

The £6 million has come from the Government's regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the European Union as part of the West Yorkshire Investment Plan.

Cash has been allocated for projects which can meet identified areas of need for training provision in Bradford.

The aim of the scheme is to get more people involved in learning, raise skills, improve opportunities for ethnic minority communities and develop new ways of learning to engage more young people.

Application forms for funding are now available and the deadline for bids is December 2.

A panel has been appointed to assess project proposals, with representatives from Bradford Learning Partnership, Bradford Council, the LSC and Yorkshire Forward.

Councillor Dale Smith, Bradford Council's executive member for education, said: "We are keen to hear from organisations which have new ideas to help people learn and improve their employment opportunities.

"Raising the skills of the district's residents not only benefits them, but also businesses in the area and adds to the overall economic regeneration of the district."

Application forms for the projects are now available from the LSC website at www.lsc.gov.uk/westyorks.

Bradford has one of the highest rates in the country of school leavers between 16 and 18 who fail to secure a place in education, employment or training. A LSC report says that a lack of basic skills is an issue for Bradford.

Figures show that 27.6 per cent of the Bradford's working age population have poor literacy and 28.7 per cent have poor numeracy - compared with a national average of 24 per cent.

The report also says people working for small businesses in Bradford have lower levels of qualifications and 25 per cent of people who are "economically inactive" have no qualifications at all.