23rd February 2023, by Parkdean Resorts

Parkdean Resorts, the UK’s largest holiday park operator, has announced a major new partnership with youth charity, The Prince’s Trust.

The agreement marks The Prince’s Trust’s first ever charitable partnership with a holiday park operator, and the two parties will work together to empower and support young people seeking employment, through a number of fundraising initiatives and development opportunities.

Work experience programmes

Parkdean Resorts will work closely with The Prince’s Trust to create meaningful opportunities for young people across the UK seeking employment, by developing exciting initiatives and work experience programmes within Parkdean’s operations and across its 65 holiday parks.

Through the partnership, Parkdean Resorts plans to join the Trust’s ‘Get Hired’ scheme, which bridges the gap between businesses looking for an efficient recruitment process and young people who are ready to move into work but are struggling to find the right opportunities. The company is also hoping to participate in The Trust’s “Get Into” programme, 2 to 4-week programmes which give young people an insight into the world of work and give them direct work experience within an industry.

Will fundraise £50,000

In addition, Parkdean Resorts will fundraise a minimum of £50,000 within the first two years to help The Prince’s Trust launch at least 20 in-school programmes for young people across the U.K. These dynamic programmes will help raise the aspirations of hundreds of young people at risk of disengaging with their studies and prepare them for a successful career.

Commenting on the new partnership, Kerry Turnbull-Murphy, Head of People Services at Parkdean Resorts, said: “A career in hospitality is truly rewarding, and can help young people to develop the skills and confidence to thrive both professionally and personally. The Prince’s Trust is the gold-standard when it comes to supporting young people, so we’re absolutely thrilled to be working with them to share our expertise and help guide and nurture young talent in the hospitality sector.”

Supporting young people with their future

This year, Parkdean Resorts will hire 11,000 people, with over 10,000 seasonal and 750 permanent roles on offer, with 250 different careers available across its business. The holiday park operator is a keen supporter of initiatives which aid youth employment and professional development and those that encourage careers within the hospitality industry, and last year pledged its support to Hospitality Rising, an initiative created to help tackle the industry’s staffing crisis, which aims to attract more people to join the industry and help fill the 400,000 vacancies the sector is currently facing.

Sharon Arbuckle, Senior Head of Corporate Partnerships at The Prince’s Trust, said: “Living through a pandemic has been devastating for young people; impacting their education, their social lives and limiting their options for getting a job. Parkdean Resorts already hire thousands of young people every year and provide development opportunities, so they are the perfect partner to help us support young people in creating a future for themselves.”