Bluestone National Park Resort has announced the appointment of Helen John formerly Assistant Head of Milford Haven School; Travel and Tourism Lecturer at Pembrokeshire College; and the Director of Swan Inn, Little Haven to spearhead the management of the new Bluestone Academy.

Establishing a centre of excellence has been a long-held ambition of Bluestone’s CEO William McNamara.

The ultimate vision for the Academy is that it will help to transform the perception of the industry to enthuse young people to pursue a career in tourism and hospitality; producing a passionate, highly-skilled and experienced workforce.

Helen’s wealth of practical industry experience, and academic qualifications, made her the perfect fit for the position. She joins the company full time from this week and will play a central role in mentoring trainees, establishing a new partnership with a third party training provider and fostering an apprenticeship programme across the business.

The Academy will offer high-quality, Bluestone-led course content, delivered alongside paid work experience opportunities in conjunction with Bluestone’s chosen third party training provider.

Helen will be responsible for developing and delivering a Bluestone branded work-based learning curriculum to inspire and engage the workforce of the future, whilst ensuring a world class learner experience.

Speaking about the appointment, Stuart Jaynes, Director of People Services at Bluestone, said: “We are thrilled that Helen is joining the Bluestone team. She brings with her a unique combination of first-hand industry experience and a wealth of teaching knowledge.

“Helen has a real passion for improving hospitality training, which fully aligns with the vision of the Bluestone Academy.

Speaking about her new role, Helen (pictured) said: “I’m so excited to be joining the Bluestone Family. The launch of the Bluestone Academy is an important step for hospitality training in the county and I look forward to working with existing team members and new joiners to maximise the amazing long term career opportunities that hospitality can provide.”