York Dungeon and the Hospitality Junior Board

The York Dungeon have been proudly supporting the Hospitality Junior Board since 2024. Described as a "place for young people in hospitality to grow, build confidence, and find their place in the industry", their program takes rising stars from tourism and hospitality and creates a fantastic development program for them.

As a part of that, each member of the board are paired with a Mentor for the 6 months that they take part, and our General Manager Mark has been involved as a Mentor from the start.

Mark told us why he supports the HJB:

"Because Tourism and Hospitality is in my blood. It was the industry that I got a job in while I worked out what to do with my life, and realised it was more fun, more engaging, and more rewarding than anything else I had done or studied. Everything I am professionally and to some extent personally is because of Hospitality, and if I can help just one person have as rewarding a career as I have been fortunate to have thus far, then it will have been worth it."

And in December 2024, one of our very own York Dungeon team members became the first person from a tourist attraction to graduate from the HJB. You can read all about Alex's adventure in our Merlin Colleague Spotlight below......

Colleague Spotlight💫

Meet Performance Supervisor, Alex from the York Dungeon who has just graduated from the Hospitality Junior Board, an initiative designed to unite a diverse cohort of young managers from across the sector. We asked Alex to share some of his highlights from his Merlin journey so far💭

💬‘I longed for a job that was fun, with a team that was passionate and dedicated to people- The York Dungeon seemed like the perfect fit. I had the most hilarious and fun audition I’d had throughout my years as an actor- I could instantly see the incredibly high standards that this team set.

Over the last three years since I got my first role,  I have been honing my craft each day, having so much fun doing so. I’ve had 3 promotions and have been gifted the privilege to lead the York Dungeons Performance team; it has been a challenge I have loved every second of🚀

I have received lots of extra training including First Aid, Mental Health and further Leadership training through the Hospitality Junior Board initiative, where I lead career fairs and engage in conversation with the wider community🫶 

To be graduating from the Hospitality Junior Board means a lot to me. This opportunity allowed me to throw myself out of my comfort zone, network with wider businesses, gain knowledge and experience within a supportive group and push me into events I never thought I could operate confidently. The Board has helped me massively in how to approach issues I’ve faced with confidence, resilience and fairness but also with kindness, compassion and understanding💜

My time with the York Dungeon has been nothing short of phenomenal and I have my entire team to thank for all the support, hilarity, passion, opportunities and dedication they have all given and shown me throughout. Long may this journey continue!’