ANOTHER 70 jobs are set to be created at an East Lancashire call centre which relocated back to the UK from India.

Bosses at New Call Telecom bucked the trend when they switched their operations from Mumbai to the Time Business Park at Simonstone.

And after recruiting just over 30 staff, for the Blackburn Road venture, they are now looking to top 100 by early next year.

Plans have also been announced by the company for a new ‘call centre academy’, to be run in partnership with Burnley College.

Students aged 16 to 19 can enrol for on-the-job training, working towards an NVQ at the college’s Princess Way campus, on day-release.

Nigel Eastwood, New Call’s chief executive, said: “Six school leavers have been accepted into the programme to learn a range of skills.

“They will be trained on site with our communications professionals and also spend one day a week at Burnley College. Upon completion, they will receive an NVQ, and if they they’ve done well, there will be a job offer.

“The first chapter was opening the call centre and providing jobs, but we said then that we would continue to support the local community, and that is what we are doing.”

Company bosses in July said they had been attracted to Simonstone by lower rents, shorter call-handling times and a more loyal workforce.

Mr Eastwood is a former Barden High student, which prompted New Call fundraisers to donate a minibus to The Rose special school, which is part of Burnley Campus on the Barden Lane site.