Bluestone National Park Resort wins Careers Wales Valued Partner Award
Bluestone National Park Resort has scooped a Gold award for its work in helping students prepare for their future careers.
The company has won a Valued Partner Award following its involvement in the Careers Wales Education Business Exchange programme.
The Education Business Exchange is designed to help bridge the skills gap between education and employment by bringing schools and businesses together to inform, inspire and motivate young people about their future career opportunities.
From offering work placements to visiting schools and running mock interviews, the Education Business Exchange programme was launched by Careers Wales in 2018 and now has more than 50 companies on board.
As a Valued Partner winner, Bluestone National Park Resort has been focusing its efforts on their home county of Pembrokeshire. From organising recruitment events and work placements for young people in the county, the team has worked hard to promote the range of careers that are available at the resort and in the hospitality sector.
Pupils at Sir Thomas Picton School were also given an exciting opportunity when they were tasked with researching, planning, designing, and developing a restaurant or activity for the resort’s new £7 million SkyDome. During the 3 month project, the 30 pupils who were involved worked alongside Bluestone employees and industry professionals.
Kate Hudson, deputy headteacher at Sir Thomas Picton School said, “The project raised our pupils' aspirations whilst at the same time supporting them in developing vital employability and leadership skills. This experience gave the children a fantastic opportunity to work with a range of departments and experience different career opportunities which exist in the hospitality industry and at a resort like Bluestone.”
Nikki Lawrence, Careers Wales Chief Executive, said: “The Valued Partner Award scheme is instrumental to the work Careers Wales does and we greatly appreciate the support we receive from each and every one of our Valued Partners.
“Ultimately, we’d like employers to feed into the national curriculum to ensure the skills students are developing will be useful to the evolving workplace. Without our Valued Partners, we wouldn’t be able to reach as many students at such a granular level and for that, we are very grateful.
“That’s why we decided to host an award ceremony – it’s our chance to give back to our Valued Partners and say thanks. It should be a great event and we hope everyone enjoys it.”
Debbie Rainbow, Director of Human Resources and Health & Safety at Bluestone National Park Resort said: “We’re delighted to be recognised by Careers Wales as a Valued Partner for the work that we do in our local community. Our Business Class partnership with Sir Thomas Picton School, work experience opportunities, and careers events have enabled young people to get a taste of working life within the tourism industry, and will hopefully inspire a future generation.’
For more information on how to become part of Careers Wales’ Education Business Exchange programme, visit our careers section where you'll find all our latest job opportunities and details of the support and benefits you could enjoy as a member of the team.
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