100s of jobs as theme park prepares for its summer rush
ALTON Towers wants to take on 300 new staff as it heads into the summer season.
Full and part-time roles are available at the theme park in a host of positions, from ride hosts and operators to food and beverage workers, entertainers, housekeepers, hotel restaurant and bar staff, chefs, night porters, front office workers and lifeguards.
Alton Towers has teamed up with job centres as it tries to fill the vacancies. Some people have been hired on the same day as their interview.
Jo Mountney, the resort’s HR director, said 1,000 people had already been recruited to work at the park, but another 300 were needed.
“Recruitment has been challenging last year and this year,” she said. “The hospitality industry has been the worst hit by the pandemic. People want more flexible working and many want to work fewer hours, so we need more people. We are working with the job centres locally to recruit, which has worked well so far.
“We have got five hotels as well as the park. We have roles that can fit in with mums doing the school run and so on. Our jobs are not just seasonal. We are creating more permanent jobs as we do more events and expand our offering throughout the year.
“We have a huge number of success stories of people who have come to work here for a season and ended up having a career in the industry. There are hundreds of opportunities.”
Rebecca Webster joined Alton Towers six years ago and has worked her way up from being a ride host to an assistant area manager. The 24-year-old, who lives in Derby, is now travelling to job centres to recruit new employees.
She said: “We can interview people and let them know straight away if they’ve been successful. I didn’t get any grades in school and I had only ever worked in an ice cream shop, so it’s no barrier whatsoever if you don’t have any experience. It’s amazing to work for Alton Towers, it’s a dream come true for me. If you are looking for work just come and have a chat with us, there’s no need to feel nervous. Every department here is so welcoming.”
Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey visited Alton Towers on Wednesday to meet some of the new staff, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a cabinet meeting in
Stoke to highlight “levelling up” opportunities.
Ms Coffey said: “It has been great to meet people who have started work at Alton Towers in the past month. They have still got 300 jobs to fill and hospitality is a great industry. One of the things that’s really impressed me is how flexible Alton Towers is as an employer, and how keen they are to invest in people. The tourism offering is fantastic around this whole area.”
Anyone interested in applying to work at Alton Towers should go to their local job centre. Alternatively, visit the attraction’s recruitment website at altontowersjobs.com.