3,000 apply to be hotel apprentices (From Croydon Guardian)

3,000 apply to be hotel apprentices

4:51pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in National News © Press Association 2011

A junior management apprenticeship programme launched by budget hotel firm Travelodge has attracted more than 3,000 applications in recent weeks - 66 for every position.

The company said it had been "overwhelmed" by the high calibre of people trying to gain a place on the programme, with the most popular areas including London, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham.

Michelle Luxford, Travelodge's human resources director, said: "The demand for our apprenticeship programme and hotel positions is like nothing I have ever seen before in my career.

"We have had candidates from all corners of the UK applying for a place on our programme. The intake to the programme this year is three times bigger than it was last year.

"So eager are today's youngsters that they are texting, tweeting, emailing, visiting our Facebook and Linkedin sites to ensure their application has been received."

Travelodge will hire 120 apprentices this year to join an existing group of 35 who started in 2011, and plans to open 41 hotels this year, creating 1,000 new jobs.