3rd March 2014

Travelodge, one of the leading hotel chains in UK, has announced that it is hiring 80 new apprentices to join its highly successful apprenticeship programme this year.

The bespoke apprenticeship scheme, JuMP (Junior Management Programme), was launched in 2011 and is the first budget hotel management apprenticeship programme in the UK. It offers A level students (18+) a real alternative to going to university via a fast track route into management. During the two year programme, school leavers can continue their education, get work experience, receive a salary and become a manager by the age of 21.

JuMP recruitment will start in spring 2014, with locations for apprentices including key city centre locations in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Cambridge and Glasgow. Last year, Travelodge received over 6,000 applications from school leavers for its 51 placements.

Jon Hendry Pickup, Chief Operating Officer at Travelodge said: National Apprenticeship Week highlights to school leavers that apprenticeship programmes can be an excellent foundation upon which to build successful, long-term careers. Our JuMP programme is a great example of this - it provides a bespoke, fast-track route into management and offers school leavers a viable alternative to university. Over a period of two years, a JuMP apprentice will learn all aspects of operating a Travelodge hotel, whilst furthering their education and receiving a salary.

The first class of apprentices graduated in November 2013 and are managing Travelodge hotels across the UK. There are currently 55 apprentices undergoing training and the next wave of apprentices will be graduating in October this year.

In addition to the 80 apprentice positions, Travelodge is also looking to hire 1,000 new staff members across the country this year. Of the 1,000 jobs, the majority are located in existing hotels across the UK, as well as new openings which will result in 350 new jobs. Locations include key city centre locations in London, Glasgow, Manchester and Southampton; in new seaside destinations including Southport, Christchurch, Llandudno and Ryde on the Isle of Wight; and in the spa town of Harrogate.

In addition, 20 maintenance roles are being created to help work on the continued roll-out of new-look rooms, and 100 positions at the Travelodge support centre in Thame, Oxfordshire. Roles there will be in departments such as hotel operations, customer services, IT, finance and revenue.

To apply for a place on the Management Apprenticeship Programme, please visit: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/careers/apprenticeship_programme/

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For further information, please contact:
James Pieslak
01844 358 624
james.pieslak@travelodge.co.uk

* Case studies available on request: To speak to a Travelodge JuMP graduate, please contact James Pieslak.

About Travelodge:
The first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge now operates over 500 hotels and 38,000 rooms across the UK, Ireland and Spain. More than 16.5 million people stayed with Travelodge last year and 85% of reservations are currently made online at www.travelodge.co.uk, which is one of the UK’s top five most visited travel websites, attracting over 1.1 million visits each week.