Bradford College ‘Kickstarts the Economy’ for #CollegesWeek2025

Celebrating the transformative role of colleges nationwide, the AoC‘s Colleges Week 2025 launches today (Monday 3rd March).

Each day this week, the national campaign aims to highlight one of five key government missions, beginning with ‘Kickstart the Economy’ – how colleges drive job creation, workforce development, and business partnerships.

From creating a highly-skilled workforce to forming strong partnerships with regional businesses, Bradford College’s commitment to strengthening the local economy is evident in a number of ways.

Investing Locally

Bradford College ensures that a significant portion of projects and partnerships benefit the local economy by prioritising local suppliers, hiring regional firms, and investing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for capital work.

Local Investment and Job Creation: For example, a College T Level facilities project allocated nearly £1.6million to local businesses, with 82% of the project budget spent regionally. Similarly, the newly-renovated Garden Mills STEM building generated £2.89million in local social value, supporting SMEs and creating jobs for the community. Such projects ensure that funds stay within the local economy and create lasting value for Bradford.

Supporting Regional Contractors: The ATC building refurbishment and soon-to-be Future Technologies Centre are both planned to involve significant local spending of up to 60%, again focusing on SMEs. These projects demonstrate a commitment to keeping economic benefits close to home, ensuring that the local workforce thrives as a result.

Boosting Employability and Addressing Skills Gaps

Bradford College is also dedicated to helping the local economy thrive by developing a highly-skilled workforce.

Our vision is to create ‘a better future for all through education and training’, and we do so by helping thousands of students gain sought-after qualifications yearly, amplified by hands-on learning.

Through apprenticeships, work placements, and partnerships with local businesses, the College plays a pivotal role in filling regional skills gaps in critical sectors such as construction, engineering, and green technologies.

Led by key contractors Sewell Group, Tilbury Douglas, and Morgan Sindall, recent capital projects alone have:

• Employed over 25 apprentices (new and sustained)

• Supported weeks of T Level placements, including Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction pathway students

• Generated two paid internships

• Welcomed site visits from students and staff across different course areas

• Taken on 10 work experience placements of 30 hours each for Brickwork, Plumbing, Joinery, Electrical Installation, and Engineering students

• Facilitated specialist employer masterclasses for students on topics as varied as catering, audio-visual, health & safety, carbon management, digital construction, and carbon reduction in design/commercial management

• Dedicated over 50 hours to promoting careers in construction, including women in construction through female work experience placements

• Created six new employment opportunities for Bradford residents

The Garden Mills project also generated community partnerships through the ‘Together Women’ charity and local schools, including Dixons Sixth Form Academy and Beckfoot Oakbank School.

Likewise, the Future Technologies project has offered CV, application writing, and interview support for unemployed adults, as well as health and wellbeing events, such as mental health and fitness.

Green Skills

Bradford College is at the forefront of preparing future workforces for a low-carbon economy, an essential sector for future economic growth.

After securing nearly £32million of funding in recent years, we have been busy making substantial carbon savings such as retrofitting estates, energy-efficiency upgrades, and opening new buildings and facilities.

Work has now started on a new £2.6m heat-pump-powered network for the rapid decarbonisation of heating in Bradford – the country’s biggest source of carbon emissions. The Bradford Energy Network is laying foundations for a net zero city, making the area an even more attractive place to invest and accelerate the growth of the local low-carbon employment sector.

Green Initiatives: The Future Technologies Centre, opening in 2026, will focus on training students in modern automotive and digital engineering skills, with a specific emphasis on electric and hybrid vehicles. This will not only help the College contribute to the region’s green transition, but will also ensure that Bradford’s workforce is prepared to meet the growing demand for sustainability expertise.

Sustainable Projects: From energy-efficient retrofitting of College buildings, to incorporating green skills into the curriculum, Bradford College is actively contributing to creating a sustainable and future-ready workforce that supports regional businesses and attracts green industry investment.

Award-Winning Apprenticeships

With over 1,000 apprentices currently enrolled across 700 employers, Bradford College is central to bridging local skills gaps and fostering economic resilience.

Our Apprenticeship department boasts success rates 15.4% above the national average, with 92% of apprentices remaining employed after completion. The Employer Engagement Team works closely with regional businesses, ensuring the skills developed through apprenticeships meet employers needs. This means apprentices are ready to contribute to the local economy immediately upon completion of training.

The well-established Bradford College Apprenticeship department continues to grow and is held in high regard after winning West Yorkshire Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year in both 2022 and 2023.

With close to a million apprentices across England alone, apprenticeship schemes have fast become an essential route to employment for a considerable number of school leavers.

Bradford College is not just an educational institution, it’s a key driving force behind regional economic success.

By investing in local businesses, developing skills for the future, and promoting sustainable economic practices, we are helping to build a stronger, more resilient local economy. Through initiatives like apprenticeships, green technologies, and strategic investments, the College is playing a key role in the economic growth of Bradford and surrounding areas.

Working with our incredible partners, as one of the region’s biggest education and training providers, we continue to strive to transform the lives of all students who walk through our door.