A firm with holiday parks across the county has hired more than 10 new apprentices since July.

This is the first time Shorefield Holidays, which has parks in Swanage, Wimborne and St Leonards, has had a cohort of this size.

Five have been taken on since September, as part of the new apprentice scheme which supports local workers to gain valuable experience in the travel and leisure industry.

This new job creation is in response to the continued positive business growth, a spokesman said, after a hugely successful year welcoming more than 100,000 visitors to its parks in 2022.

With continued consumer interest in short UK breaks, Shorefield is looking ahead to further demand in 2023. There are a further 17 job vacancies still currently available, across a wide range of career paths.

Hires of apprentices come from a range of backgrounds, from local school leavers to those who have experience in other careers both at Shorefield and outside of the business.

George Buck, gas engineer apprentice, said: “I completed a college course in IT this year, but unfortunately most of my studies were during Covid and I didn’t get the full college experience.

"Whilst I learnt valuable computer skills, I didn’t see myself in an IT role. Having had jobs alongside college, I knew I had a good work ethic, and this apprenticeship has allowed me to apply that and is the best of both worlds; I get to be hands on whilst constantly learning!”

Jacqui Woodford, payroll apprentice, said: “Having worked at Shorefield for more than 20 years within the reservations department, the opportunity arose to learn something completely different, for which I am very grateful to take on a new challenge. Returning to studying is a new experience in itself, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I hope to prove that a change of direction is never too late and although maybe out of your comfort zone at times, anything is possible.”

Shorefield prides itself as a people first business with nearly a third (32 per cent) of permanent staff having been with the company for more than five years. Employee perks at Shorefield include access to health and fitness facilities on the parks, company discounts, free holidays and pension and healthcare plans.

Established in 1958, Shorefield, which has nine parks across the two counties and remains family run, is the one of the largest travel and hospitality employers in the area.