The ambitious plans to create a new technical academy devoted to creating a skilled workforce of tradespeople can only be good news for Bradford.

The district has for a long time been more reliant on manufacturing industries than most other areas.

One of the complaints from the businesses based here is that there are simply not enough young people coming through with the necessary skills to ensure that these industries survive and prosper.

Schools are often criticised for not equipping pupils with more practical skills to enter the world of work, although there have been great strides made in this area recently, with college courses devoted to bricklaying, plastering and other skilled trades.

But the creation of a dedicated training centre is good news – and vital to ensure that Bradford can stay at the forefront of manufacturing for many years to come.

Some young people are simply not cut out to follow more academic paths, but that does not mean they are not intelligent nor that they should not be given adequate training.

Hopefully this will create a steady flow of fully trained young workers ready to take on the mantle of manufacturing and skilled trades that has made Bradford so great over the years.

That is really building for the future.