To this end, the theme park is introducing a freshly designed management training programme and hiring five recent graduates with a minimum of three years' work experience who will be attached to five of its nine divisions.
"Due to the transformational growth of this park, we need high-calibre employees for basically every single department. We are constantly hiring suitable candidates to prepare for the upcoming challenges," says Tom Mehrmann, Ocean Park's chief executive.
Ocean Park, now employing 1,500 people full-time and up to 1,000 part-time seasonal staff, is offering long-term career development opportunities, and wants to hear from people who have a strong interest and passion for working in a dynamic theme park environment.
"The ideal candidate should possess the ability to work under pressure with good multitasking skills, as well as being a good team player and [with] excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Proficiency in English and Chinese is expected. We are looking for fast learners who are creative and able to think critically," Mehrmann says.
Applications are already coming in for the positions in sales and marketing, engineering, finance, operations and revenue. During the 24-month period of the programme, the park will provide recruits with one-on-one training.
"A wide range of different development plans based on individual needs would be further defined," says Mehrmann. "We will work with each of [the trainees] on their suggested work schedules, career development plans, and other development such as in-house or external training, or even academic programmes to enhance their respective knowledge and skills."
For 36 weeks, trainees will be rotated across divisions and departments to broaden their horizons. After that, they will undergo a management review to pass probation. "This is an important stage to review the candidates' suitability to become future leaders of Ocean Park," says Mehrmann.
Upon completing the programme, candidates will be offered permanent employment contracts at senior supervisory or assistant managerial level.
The best part of working for Ocean Park is the family-like environment, says Mehrmann. "People who have been working [here] for a very long time will tell you that Ocean Park is their home, they grew up with the park, and their colleagues are like family members."
