AN ambitious plan to drive up skills and get more Bradfordians into work will be launched next month.

'People, Skills, Prosperity' 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.

It will be discussed at a meeting of the Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee next Monday at City Hall. At the heart of the plan is the target for the district to be better than the UK averages for productivity, jobs, earnings and skills.

"By 2030 this will mean at least 20,000 more people in work across the district, 48,000 more local people will have secured a Level 3 qualification, and GVA (Gross Value Added) will have grown by £4billion in the local economy."

"Every child, young person and adult needs to be empowered to benefit from this growth and drive further improvements in workforce productivity," says the plan

"At the same time our businesses need the talent pipeline that can deliver a workforce with the skills they need, when they need them.

"These two considerations are central to achieving our ambitions for Bradford."

It adds: "People, Skills, Prosperity considers where we are currently as a district and how we can collectively capitalise on our current strengths and successes to achieve the common goals of our partners, and in doing so, raise up all of our communities."

The plan highlights barriers in the district and says: "Bradford faces some substantial labour market challenges in ensuring that all our communities and residents are accessing work. The longer-term trend is positive and employment continues to rise in the district, but our employment remains lower in Bradford than in the wider West Yorkshire Combined Authority."

It says there has been an acceleration in the growth of low pay and insecure employment.

"Too many residents are in, or moving in and out of, low-paid and insecure employment with few chances to progress into better-paid and more stable jobs," it says, adding that there is evidence that - on a local level - there are employers struggling to meet their workforce needs.

The plan sets out a three-pronged mission - build the skills employers seek; improve job quality and connect people to good jobs and careers.

In a foreword to the plan, Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council's Portfolio Holder for Education, Employment and Skills, says it's the vision for a "stronger, more inclusive economic future for the district".

He adds: "A successful economy in Bradford is dependent on the skills of the people who live and work here. Everyone who lives, works and runs business in the district has a role to play in improving skills at all levels from entry through to PHD. A successful economy will drive our prosperity and the pay-off will be enormous: a much more competitive position for our local businesses and a better quality of life for our local people."