Parkdean Resorts will work with Only A Pavement Away to provide job opportunities for veterans across its 66 parks, to help them find a pathway out of homelessness by providing meaningful employment, as well as funding qualifications and development opportunities, including chef apprenticeships. The charity will advertise Parkdean Resorts job vacancies on their jobs board, with a wide variety of roles set to be listed, which could include bar staff, chefs, kitchen team members, waiting staff, receptionists, lifeguards, and security officers.

The partnership builds on Parkdean Resorts’ ongoing support for the Armed Forces community. Parkdean Resorts is a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise made by employers to those who serve or who have served, and their families, to do all they can to ensure they are treated fairly – the company has already achieved a Silver Award in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Awards Scheme, and has applied for Gold Award status in 2023. The company was also the headline sponsor of the inaugural Celebrating Forces Families Awards last year, and supported the 2022 Armed Forces Day National Event in Scarborough.

Through partnerships with the Army Central Fund, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, Parkdean Resorts gifts free holidays to hundreds of military personnel and their families each year. Honouring the extraordinary sacrifices and support families provide whilst their loved ones are deployed around the globe, the award-winning holiday park operator is donating 188 free holidays for personnel in the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force at 21 parks this year, awarded not only as recognition of the Service Person, but often for respite and recuperation for personnel who may have been through difficult circumstances and where time away may help.

Jane Bates, Director of Procurement and Sustainability at Parkdean Resorts, said: “To be able to support our Armed Forces is a huge source of pride for the business, and we welcome the unique skills and experience of the Armed Forces community. Only A Pavement Away do fantastic work to support veterans, so we’re looking forward to working together to provide some fantastic career opportunities to hardworking ex-service people.”

Increasing the number of corporate partners, like Parkdean Resorts, from the hospitality industry is a core ambition of Only A Pavement Away, and as part of the partnership, Parkdean Resorts has also donated a five-figure sum which will support with veteran engagement. The charity has placed over 300 members into meaningful employment since its formation five years ago, and its long term goal is to dramatically ramp up over the next 5 years and place 5,000 people into hospitality roles over this timeframe.

Greg Mangham, CEO Only A Pavement Away, said: “Parkdean Resorts has a national footprint of holiday parks, industry-leading training and development programmes, and a track record of working with veterans, so we’re thrilled to have them on board as an official partner. This partnership will provide important opportunities and qualifications to veterans in need of support, and we can’t wait to see the impact it will have.”

The partnership with Only A Pavement Away is Parkdean Resorts’ latest initiative to attract and develop diverse talent, having recently announced a partnership with The Prince’s Trust, as part of its commitment to embrace younger generations. Parks will join the ‘Get Hired’ scheme to help young people who are struggling to find the right job opportunities, and will participate in the Trust’s “Get Into” programme by offering 2 to 4-week schemes which give young people an insight into the world of work and give them direct work experience within an industry.

With 250 different job roles available in its business across the country, a job at Parkdean Resorts can lead to a life-long career in hospitality. The company is an Ofsted-accredited employer, providing qualifications ranging from Level 2 to Level 5, the equivalent of a Foundation Degree, to hundreds of employees every year. Additionally, through a partnership with Cranfield University, the company has created a first-of-its-kind Mastering Business Leadership programme, providing elite leadership and management training for future leaders within the business. The business is also one of more than 300 companies throughout the UK who have signed up to support Hospitality Rising, a new campaign aimed at tackling the industry’s staffing crisis.