Eight hundred regeneration staff at Bradford Council are to learn leadership, project management and placeshaping skills in a groundbreaking new programme.

The Bradford Regeneration Academy, launched today, is a partnership between the local authority and Integreat Yorkshire, the regional centre of regeneration excellence.

The academy is thought to be the first scheme in the UK to provide a comprehensive programme to upgrade the skills of local authority regeneration workers.

Fifty staff will join the first cohort of ‘academicians’. The scheme is enthusiastically supported by Yorkshire Forward, which hopes it can act as a model for other authorities in the region.

Jan Anderson, the RDA’s executive director of environment, said that despite the economic challenges facing the region, ‘from Yorkshire Forward’s point of view it’s never, ever, the wrong time to invest in skills and learning’.

The programme will cover staff working in planning, asset management, transport, housing and economic development.

Barra Mac Ruairi, Bradford Council’s strategic director of regeneration, said it was geared to delivery, not just theory – ‘this is not the icing on the cake – this is the cake’.

The aim was to become the ‘best regeneration department in the UK’.

David Shepherd, assistant director of regeneration, said the scheme was not about ‘big iconic projects’ but would focus on people: ‘It’s about making Bradford a sustainable place for years to come.’

Staff will be encouraged to think creatively, explore new ways of working, and share their knowledge and understanding of how to sustain the city’s renaissance across services and disciplines, ensuring a consistent approach for all Bradford’s communities.

Craig McHugh, world heritage officer at Saltaire and one of the first wave of recruits, said he was excited about the programme. ‘I feel it’s a really positive thing to be part of a re-energised department,’ he commented.

by Julian Dobson of NewStart