Large-Scale Hiring for 1,200 Permanent Center Parcs Scottish Borders Jobs Expected to Begin in 2028

Construction is progressing at the £450 million Center Parcs Scottish Borders site, with Scottish firms already holding contracts and further major contracts expected over the coming months. Center Parcs gave that update at the Scottish Parliament on September 30. For workers, large-scale recruitment is expected to begin in 2028, ahead of a summer 2029 opening, and 1,200 permanent jobs are expected to be created once the village is operational. The roles will be permanent rather than seasonal employment or zero-hours contracts. For Metaintro readers in the Borders, the useful part is what the work will look like, what Center Parcs asks of new staff at its existing villages, how training and transport work, and what you can do before the main hiring push opens.

What Was Announced at the Scottish Parliament on September 30?

Center Parcs gave an update on the Scottish Borders village at an event held at the Scottish Parliament on September 30, with closing remarks from Tom Arthur MSP, the Scottish Government minister for business and fair work. The event was sponsored by Rachael Hamilton MSP.

On the build, the new junction on the A7 has been completed, the entrance road is being surfaced and car park works are underway. D.E. Fencing, based in St Boswells, is installing the village perimeter fencing, and RJ McLeod has been delivering enabling works including the new entrance road and highway improvements.

For workers, large-scale recruitment is tipped to begin in 2028, work to develop the future workforce is already underway, and career fairs and community recruitment events will be held as the recruitment programme accelerates. Around half of the future workforce is expected to be made up of young people, with opportunities including housekeeping, leisure, food and beverage, beauty therapy, engineering and management.

For local firms, the procurement programme will formally accelerate in 2027, with Meet the Buyer events planned in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway.

Is the 1,200 Jobs Figure New?

No. The 1,200 permanent staff figure was already in use in December 2025, before planning approval, and it appeared again in a Scottish Government release in March 2026, when First Minister John Swinney visited the site near Hawick. The South of Scotland Destination Alliance also links the plan to 1,200 permanent year-round jobs.

The recruitment year is not new either, as the project timeline lists 2028 as the year recruitment begins. That entry was already on an archived copy of the timeline saved before the event.

Once the village is open, more than 1,200 local jobs will be created. Those will be permanent, non-seasonal jobs offering full and part-time opportunities.

At the Scottish Parliament event on September 30, the 1,200 figure came up again and large-scale recruitment was tipped to begin in 2028. For jobs at the village, the project FAQ still says it is too early to apply, and recruitment for the Scottish village is due to start in the next few years.

When Will Center Parcs Start Hiring in the Borders?

There are two answers. The main recruitment drive is expected to begin in 2028. Talent director Simon Gibson said two people have already been recruited in forestry and land work before then.

The first job advertised at Center Parcs Scottish Borders was a senior conservation ranger, a role giving on-site conservation expertise through construction and then supporting management of the village's natural environment after it opens. One of the two early forestry and land recruits is going to relocate back to the Borders, according to talent director Simon Gibson.

Some of the jobs are going to be drip fed over the next probably 12 or 18 or so months, before we really start to ramp up and look at a bit more significant numbers of our workforce and how we'll find and bring those people in, Talent Director Simon Gibson said, according to the Greatest Hits Radio report.

Key dates on the project timeline:

• In December 2025, planning permission was granted.
• In 2026, tendering begins for construction contracts.
• In 2028, recruitment begins.
• Also in 2028, tendering for operational suppliers begins.
• In summer 2029, Center Parcs Scottish Borders opens.

Gibson said Center Parcs also sees turnover in the first year, and that of the maybe 1,200 or so people needed, hundreds are going to decide the job is not for them before the company goes and finds more.

Which Jobs Will the Scottish Borders Village Need?

Center Parcs will be recruiting for a wide range of roles across all levels at the Scottish village, in six areas:

• Food, beverage and retail
• Accommodation and housekeeping
• Leisure, sports and activities
• Spa
• Technical and ground services
• Service delivery and support

The village will include up to 700 units of accommodation, more than 100 indoor and outdoor leisure activities, restaurants and retail outlets, a leisure activity loch, a Local Heritage Centre, an Aqua Sana Forest Spa and the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. The village will welcome up to 3,500 guests each break, and guests check in or out only on a Monday or Friday.

At its existing villages, there are around ten restaurants in each village, from pub fare to Indian fine dining, and staff can switch restaurants without changing employers. Food, beverage, retail and housekeeping posts are service jobs in retail and hospitality.

The positions will also include engineering and management roles, and the careers site lists technical and ground services as one of its hiring areas.

What Do Center Parcs Roles Ask For at Its Existing Villages?

Scottish recruitment is due to start in the next few years, so the requirements below come from the team member roles page for the current villages.

• Food and beverage assistants. No experience required, but the company asks that you are great with people, confident and can work under pressure.
• Front of house management. These roles look for super motivated, dedicated people with management or supervisory experience in the fast-paced world of food, drinks or retail.
• Kitchen porters and assistants. Porters keep things clean and organised for chefs, and kitchen assistants prep food, with a fast-track program to help kitchen assistants level up. Line cooks have a fast-track development program too.
• Housekeeping. On Mondays and Fridays, changeover housekeepers work between 9:45am and 2:45pm to get accommodation ready for new guests, with variations at Whinfell Forest. Duties include vacuuming, dusting, cleaning ovens and bathrooms, and making beds, and no experience is needed, as full training and support will be given.
• Cleaners and linen. Early morning and evening cleaners clean retail and restaurant units, changing rooms, toilets and sports areas, and the Linen and Logistics team packs and distributes bedding and towels.
• Lifeguards. Qualified lifeguards can apply straight away, and full training and NPLQ certification is provided if you pass the swim test.
• Beauty therapists. Beauty therapists and seniors are qualified to NVQ Level 3 or equivalent with experience of working in a salon or spa environment, and good time management skills are essential.

For spa staff, the Aqua Sana spa is open every day from 9am to 9pm, hours run on a rota and some weekend work is expected. Massage bookings are restricted to 4.5 hours a day, and beauty therapists receive a free uniform including footwear, plus product commissions and bonuses.

What Training, Benefits and Working Patterns Does Center Parcs List?

Staff can gain recognised qualifications as they develop, alongside a strong commitment to promoting from within. Many lifeguards join without a qualification, and Center Parcs covers the cost of their training.

One kitchen manager joined on a one-day-a-week placement while studying catering at Wiltshire College, became a commis chef, and was supported through an NVQ Level 3. A Level 3 beauty therapist who trained at Carlisle College has worked at Aqua Sana Whinfell Forest for over five years and works alternate weekends with a fixed four-week rota.

The benefits listed for existing staff include:

• Up to 60% off a break each year
• Up to 20% off in bars, restaurants and shops
• A 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Free day passes to enjoy the leisure facilities with friends and family

Because Center Parcs operates 365 days a year, most of its positions are permanent, though it occasionally recruits for seasonal or fixed-term posts.

Crucially, it will create opportunities that will allow young people to build their careers and futures locally, Minister for Business and Fair Work Tom Arthur said at the Scottish Parliament event, according to the Midlothian View report.

Who Are the Jobs Aimed At?

Two different youth figures are in use, and they measure different things. In March, First Minister John Swinney said 30% of these 1,200 jobs are targeted at 16-to-24-year-olds. The Center Parcs update on Wednesday 30 September instead expects around half of the future workforce to be made up of young people, without giving an age band.

One is a target for a defined age group and the other is an expected share of the whole workforce. For young people in the Borders weighing local jobs against moving away for work, those are the two figures to watch.

Gibson said that if Center Parcs can bring people out of unemployment, off benefits, back into the world of work, he thinks it will create a greater ecosystem for people to find work, and it is not just going to take staff from other organisations.

Center Parcs is working with local schools, Borders College and employability organisations to understand future skills requirements and prepare local people. The South of Scotland Destination Alliance has started work with Skills Development Scotland, South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), Borders College, Scottish Borders Council, Developing Young Workforce and others to develop the workforce needed to fill the 1,200 jobs.

What Is Being Built Near Hawick, and What Work Is Happening Now?

The site sits just off the A7, north of Hawick and south of Selkirk, and covers 1,000 acres, of which 500 acres will be used for the village itself. It will be the company's first village in Scotland, joining six villages across the UK and Ireland supported by its Forest House team in North Nottinghamshire.

Further major contracts are expected to be awarded over the coming months, including packages for the construction of lodges and central buildings. Center Parcs expects the project to create around 750 to 800 jobs during construction.

The development is expected to contribute approximately £15 million in GVA to the Scottish Borders economy and £212 million to the Scottish economy during the construction phase. SOSE has a lower estimate, at £124 million in gross construction-phase GVA across Scotland.

How Is the Project Funded, and What Did Regulators Review?

The Scottish Government has committed up to £30 million over five years, delivered through SOSE, for the infrastructure that makes the resort possible. That funding unlocks more than £420 million in private funding from Center Parcs, which the Scottish Government says could not proceed without it.

SOSE asked the Competition and Markets Authority's Subsidy Advice Unit to review the grant, and the unit's final advice was published in May 2026. SOSE proposed grant funding of £30.033 million to Center Parcs Scotland Limited, against estimated project costs of about £450 million.

SOSE estimates 1,930 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs a year during operations, including 1,380 FTE in the Scottish Borders region. That estimate is in FTE jobs, a different measure from the 1,200 permanent jobs figure.

Where Will Workers Live and How Will They Get to Work?

At existing villages, bus transport to and from the local area is provided for Housekeeping team members on Mondays and Fridays or those working early mornings, but other roles need their own transport. SOSE expects the site to provide transport services and flexible working arrangements to support workforce access from a wider catchment area.

Housing is the other question. Accommodation is not provided on site as part of employment at Center Parcs. In December 2025, Russel Griggs, chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, told Scottish Borders Council's executive committee that securing accommodation for the workforce will be a big challenge, and housebuilders began contacting SOSE about land within weeks of the project being unveiled.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The main recruitment push is expected in 2028, which gives you time to get a qualification, build experience in a similar job, or line up transport before the roles are posted. The jobs will be permanent, non-seasonal and full or part-time.

At existing villages, food and beverage assistant and housekeeping roles ask for no experience, and lifeguard training is covered if you pass the swim test. Beauty therapist roles ask for an NVQ Level 3 or equivalent with experience of working in a salon or spa environment. If you want hospitality experience before the main push, working at a hotel is one option to look at.

Here is what we would do:

• Sign up for project updates. The Center Parcs Scotland site offers email updates on the project.
• Watch the Scotland careers page. The Scottish Borders careers page links to current vacancies and asks candidates to keep checking back.
• Start a qualification if you want the spa. Beauty therapist roles at existing villages ask for NVQ Level 3 or equivalent with experience of working in a salon or spa environment, so that qualification plus salon or spa experience is the requirement to work towards.
• Talk to Borders College. It is one of the partners working on future skills requirements with Center Parcs.
• Go to the career fairs. Career fairs and community recruitment events will be held as recruitment accelerates.
• Plan your commute. At existing villages, bus transport is provided for Housekeeping team members on Mondays and Fridays or those working early mornings, but other roles need their own transport, so work out early how you would get to work.
• Look at construction work. If you are in the trades, Center Parcs expects the project to create around 750 to 800 jobs during construction, and construction is progressing at the site.

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People Also Asked

Q: When will Center Parcs Scottish Borders start recruiting?

A: Large-scale recruitment is expected to begin in 2028, ahead of a summer 2029 opening, though a senior conservation ranger was the first job advertised and talent director Simon Gibson said two people have already been recruited in forestry and land work.

Q: Will the Center Parcs Scottish Borders jobs be seasonal?

A: No. The jobs will be permanent and non-seasonal, with full and part-time opportunities, and they will be permanent roles rather than seasonal employment or zero-hours contracts.

Q: What kinds of jobs will Center Parcs Scottish Borders offer?

A: Roles will include housekeeping, leisure, food and beverage, beauty therapy, engineering and management, and Center Parcs will recruit across all levels.

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