Gulliver’s celebrates a decade of trainee management scheme.
Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts is celebrating completing ten years of its in-house bespoke trainee management scheme, with the 11th intake of budding candidates set to join the company later this year.
Since the scheme began in 2015, 58 trainee managers have completed the year-long course designed to develop leaders to work at any one of Gulliver’s UK sites, at Warrington, Milton Keynes, Matlock Bath or Rotherham.
This year, more than 2,000 people have applied for the programme with applications now closed.
Aidan Hall, commercial manager at Gulliver’s Land in Milton Keynes, joined the scheme in 2015 and is today responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the park.
Commenting on his career success through the scheme, Aidan said: “I joined the trainee manager scheme ten years ago as it sounded really exciting and you don’t often see opportunities like it available.
“It led me directly to where I am today, working at Gulliver’s and enjoying lots of variety in my day. It’s fast paced, but the scheme helps you gain so many new skills and you get to spend a lot of time learning from general managers, resort directors and even the managing director - which isn't something you get in other businesses - so you really do hit the ground running.”
Gulliver’s trainee management programme gives candidates a chance to experience different areas of the business on a series of placements, while allowing Gulliver’s to home-grow its own managers according to the business’s unique and rapidly expanding needs.
The trainees will take on their own bespoke projects, receive mentoring from a senior member of Gulliver's staff and work across all areas of the business, at all four UK locations, before stepping into new management roles at the end of the 12-month term.
Upon successful completion of the scheme, Aidan’s permanent leadership appointment was at Milton Keynes as retail and front of house manager.
Aidan said: “I was appointed at Milton Keynes as a retail and front of house manager which I really loved. I then took on more responsibility and five years later got promoted to commercial manager. I now oversee the daily park operation, do all recruitment for the site, and implement strategies to increase revenue.
“The best thing about working in a theme park is the variety in your day. You might start off helping with the admissions team in the morning, by lunch time you're helping out the catering team and in the afternoon you're helping design a future event.
“Ten years after embarking on the training scheme I’m still here – there is nowhere on Earth like it! The team are incredible and will always push you to better yourself, as well as giving you the freedom to try out new ideas without needing to jump through hoops like you would in a big corporate business.”
Dean Kimberley, director of loyalty and marketing at Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts, said: “Our trainee management scheme is something we are incredibly proud of here at Gulliver’s and Aidan is a stand out example of someone who began as a trainee and has grown his career with us over the last decade. He is an inspiration to other people who are looking for an opportunity to start a career path within the hospitality and theme park industry and is one of dozens who still remain with us after embarking on the programme.
“Gulliver’s is nothing without our dedicated team who deliver magical experiences and help create special memories for the thousands and thousands of visitors our parks receive each year. As a family company, investing in our staff will always be really important to us and we’re really excited to welcome our 11th intake to the company soon.”
Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts is a family-run business founded by Ray Phillips and his late wife Hilary, who opened the family’s first theme park, Gulliver’s Kingdom in Matlock Bath, in 1978 - beginning a life-long passion for the family to provide great value days out and short breaks to generations of children across the UK.
Today, the company boasts four parks across the UK, having launched Gulliver’s World in Warrington in 1989, Gulliver’s Land in Milton Keynes in 1999 and Gulliver’s Valley in Rotherham in 2020.
The Gulliver’s business is now headed up by Ray and Hilary’s daughter, managing director Julie Dalton, along with her brother Nick Phillips, who is also a director.
For more information, please visit www.gulliversfun.co.uk
