Around 550 jobs are being created at North East holiday company Parkdean Resorts as part of move to help young people into hospitality careers.
The Newcastle-headquartered business, which has 67 parks across the UK, has announced plans to take on the new starters as part of the Government Kickstart scheme, to give young people the skills needed to succeed in the leisure industry and help them into permanent jobs and new careers at its sites.
The group has 550 current vacancies, having recruited 375 trainees in the Kickstart intake of 2021.
Trainees will benefit from a package offering them a minimum of 25 hours work per week for £9 per hour. The recruitment process was set in motion last week and will run fortnightly, and follows the success of last year’s programme which achieved a 100% employment rate.
Parkdean Resorts is providing young people on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment with a six-month work placement, alongside a training programme.
It says the new programme will allow individuals to pursue a ‘guest experience trainee’ role in an area of their choice, with roles available in accommodation, food and beverage, reception, sport and leisure, and entertainment.
Lisa Charles-Jones, HR director, said 31 Kickstarters are currently working in the company’s central contact centre, hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s cohort – eight of whom have now been offered full-time permanent positions.
Ms Charles-Jones said: “We’re thrilled to be relaunching the Kickstart scheme after having such great success last year.
"We decided to take part in the Kickstart scheme as we wanted to give young people the opportunity to learn and develop new skills, and this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate just how rewarding a career in hospitality can be whilst giving young people the skills they need to succeed.
"We’re delighted with the success of the scheme to date and we look forward to welcoming our new trainees soon.”
The company, which employs around 750 people at its head office in Gosforth, last year invested £70m across its portfolio, to take advantage of the growing demand for UK staycations.
It also regularly recruits thousands of seasonal workers and last year took on 6,500 summer workers across its UK estate.
