Bradford College is looking to develop links with local employers to create tailor-made courses in a bid to make gaining employment for students much easier.

College bosses are looking to hold meetings with large companies in the district to see what qualifications and skills they seek when filling new vacancies to help stem the flow of rising unemployment.

Jain Camfield, a spokesman for the college, said: “We are seriously looking at the skills aspect and how we can help address the gaps in employment.

“We will work with employers and ask them whether we need to introduce new courses. We are talking to employers and looking at research which identifies skill shortages in areas in Leeds and Bradford.

“It is about working towards offering a more related structure and keeping up to date with what employment is on offer and getting students jobs. That is the way we would like to go, such as the Whistling Woods Film School where there is an area of growth within the media industry.

“We could host morning breakfast meetings for specifically large organisations and see how we can discuss upskilling their workforce and what courses we could introduce.

“It could include companies like the NHS, Provident, PACE, among others. It is all about employment and asking what we need to do to help and develop a way forward to make students more employable, to put them on the right road with the right skills.”

A spokesman for Bradford Chamber said: “Any engagement with businesses and other employers on skills needs is to be welcomed as it enhances the links between demand-side and supply-side of training and job creation.

“Some businesses are saying that they have skills shortages and that they can’t find suitable candidates and so dialogue to help overcome that problem will be welcomed.”