KEIGHLEY will benefit from a multi-million pound jobs boost.

Bradford district and Leeds have landed a near £10 million funding pot to get the long-term jobless into work.

Bradford is to get the lion’s share of the cash, which will secure the future of an award-winning programme of support for those hardest to help.

Councillor Imran Khan, who leads on employment at Bradford Council, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic news for Bradford district and Leeds.”

The Bradford district has Yorkshire’s third worst jobless rate, with more than 8,000 people – 2.8 per cent of the working age population – on out-of-work benefits.

Bradford and Leeds councils have teamed up to secure £4.3m of European Structural Investment Fund (ESIF) cash to help tackle the issue.

This is being combined with money from both councils, Keighley social housing group Incommunities and careers advice body Aspire-Igen to create a £9.8m pot to help unemployed over-25s, with more than £7m of it earmarked for Bradford.

Cllr Khan said most of Bradford’s cash would be used to effectively grant a three-year extension to the successful Get Bradford Working programme, which had faced running out of funding within months.

The programme’s Employment Opportunities Fund sees jobseekers placed in work with local employers for six months, with their wages paid by the fund.

Cllr Khan said this helped to break a “vicious cycle” for people who had been out of work for a long time.

He said: “If people have been out of work long-term, they struggle with the references, experience and the necessary skills they need.

“If they have long-term health problems or issues with drug or alcohol abuse, it’s hard for them to get back on their feet and to find stable employment as well, so this funding, through Get Bradford Working, effectively gets people back into work.”

Some of the cash will also be used to fund the SkillsHouse retail academy, which helps to train unemployed people for jobs in local shops and restaurants.

There will also be specialist support for jobseekers who have a disability or mental ill-health, those who speak English as a second language or those dependent on drugs or alcohol, among others.

Together with initiatives in Leeds, the programmes will aim to get 1,500 unemployed over-25s into jobs by 2020, through a new approach called Skills Training Employment Pathways (STEP) – a package of tailored support helping people overcome any barriers preventing them from finding work.

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council’s executive member for employment, said he was “delighted” that the joint bid with Bradford had been successful.

He said it would equip those “who have been out of work for a long period, with the skills, support and confidence to find employment”.

Any over-25s interested in participating in the project can call 01274 257788 to find out more.