NEW job placement opportunities for 16 to 24-year-olds are being offered by Bluestone National Park Resort.

It follows Bluestone's approval as a Kickstart provider by the Department of Work and Pensions.

The Kickstart programme at Bluestone will be run as part of the Bluestone Academy, which was launched at the beginning of April, and will offer six-month placements for 30 young people.

The placements will be spread over three cohorts who will train and work in various departments.

For the first intake, these will include the Well Spa Retreat, food and beverage, retail, facilities and leisure, with future opportunities in sustainability, IT, people services, arrivals, housekeeping, marketing, guest services and admin support.

They will support the creation of new jobs across the resort, which otherwise would not have been possible.

The vision for the Academy is that it will help to transform the perception of the industry to enthuse young people to pursue a career in tourism and hospitality; producing a passionate, highly skilled and experienced workforce.

Kickstart is a UK Government scheme which provides funding to companies to create new job placements for 16 to 24-year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment. The paid placements will help the young people to develop transferable skills to help kickstart their careers.

Stuart Jaynes, Bluestone's director of people services, is co-ordinating the programme at Bluestone.

He said:

“We are putting together really exciting and imaginative placements for the young people involved – so they get to experience the very best of Bluestone and the hospitality industry, while learning invaluable career skills. This scheme forms an important part of our Bluestone Academy, which is an important step for hospitality training in the county.” 

Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb assisted Bluestone with the tender process.

He added: “I am delighted that Bluestone, a flagship employer in Pembrokeshire, is now officially part of the UK Government’s Kickstart scheme.

"Bluestone is one of our most important tourism businesses and has a track record of creating high quality jobs and careers for local people. It is a period of growth for the hospitality and tourism sector with new demand for people and skills.

"The work placements that Bluestone will be offering through Kickstart will be an important step towards meeting this need.”

If you are interested in taking part, please contact your local Job Centre Plus for more information.