100 new jobs will be created with the opening of the new £25 million Andersonstown Leisure Centre in April.
Andersonstown will be the next leisure centre to re-open as part of Belfast City Council’s £105 million leisure transformation programme. It follows the recent openings of the new Brook and Lisnasharragh Leisure Centres.
GLL, the social enterprise that runs all of Belfast’s leisure centres under the Better brand, is to recruit 100 people in both full and part-time roles.
The jobs will be created across a range of disciplines, including over 50 lifeguards to ensure a safe and fun experience on the brand new water slides, aqua play park and surf simulator. Other roles will include swim teachers, gymnastic instructors, fitness instructors, catering staff and front-desk staff.
Alderman Brian Kingston, Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee said: “I’m delighted to see another 100 jobs being created by GLL as part of our Leisure Transformation Programme.
“Belfast City Council’s investment in leisure services is the biggest in the UK reflecting the importance we place on making life better for all our residents by improving their health and wellbeing, reducing life inequalities and improving our neighbourhoods. These are priorities for the city outlined in the Belfast Agenda, our community plan.
“Job creation and investment are also key priorities. We want to create employment and opportunity, enhance skills and address economic inactivity. These new jobs at the new Andersonstown Leisure Centre - and the others created in our other new centres - will contribute significantly to a broad range of our targets.”
Regional Director of GLL in Northern Ireland, Gareth Kirk said: “Andersonstown will be the latest of three fantastic new leisure centres to open in Belfast, following Lisnasharragh and Brook which opened at the end of 2019.
The opening of Andersonstown will bring a further 100 new jobs to the city and the people we recruit to these roles will be responsible for contributing to our aspiration of getting more people in the city, more active, more often.
“As a strategic partner of Belfast City Council, we are wholly committed to contributing to the health and wellbeing of the people who live here and to do to that we need to have a great team of people working in these world-class facilities to help deliver on this ambition.
Regional Human Resources Business Partner for GLL, Catherine Sweeney added: “We are thrilled to be adding 100 new jobs to our growing Better Belfast team. The investment in leisure in this city is fantastic, and the development of Andersonstown will bring so many new opportunities for people who are interested in pursuing a career in leisure.
“GLL is hugely committed to its workforce and our people are our greatest asset. Part of that commitment means providing existing staff with the opportunity to develop their skills and pursue rewarding careers with us.
“There is a huge range of rewarding careers in GLL and really exciting opportunities for staff to develop and progress. I would encourage anyone who is interested in a career in leisure to check out our website for details on how to apply.”