Kennywood Park seeks college students as part of summer workforce

Photo+Credit%3A+%28Kennywood+Park%29+

Photo Credit: (Kennywood Park)

Gage Goulding, Contributor

WEST MIFFLIN — An entire summer of fun that could turn into a career.

When thinking about an amusement park like Pittsburgh’s Kennywood Park, the thought of roller coasters, delicious foods and unforgettable experiences comes to mind. However, for college students preparing to enter the workforce, summer jobs, internships and careers in the industry that touts fun are the next exciting thing.

Kennywood Park is hosting an Easter weekend hiring event to help college students find summer employment, get valuable experience, and most importantly: get paid.

The amusement park located in West Mifflin offers a variety of positions that give college-level students the ability to obtain real-world experience in guest relations, engineering and ride maintenance, hospitality management, food and beverage and more.

“There is a lot of good reasons to work here, but one of the most important is the hands-on experience you get working with the public and with people as a whole,” said Nick Paradise, Kennywood’s director of marketing.

Some fields that Kennywood offers internships in includes public safety, accounting and finance, technical trade jobs, hospitality management and more.

“We’ve actually expanded our internship a great deal for summer 2019,” said Paradise. “It might be filled up, but a summers experience will only be a positive impact. We’ve catered and are opening up for opportunities in all our departments.”

A bonus for college students: the internships are paid and can also be used for credit.

“They are paid internships, they are for college credit as well.”

For students looking to make some extra money over the summer, Kennywood Park has introduced a new pay scale to remain competitive in the changing job market.

New team members will be hired at $9.00 per hour, with advancement opportunities for high-performing employees.

“A day of fun at our parks wouldn’t be possible for any of us without the team members on the front lines who run rides, serve food and sell tickets,” says Joe Barron, human resources director for Kennywood and Sandcastle.

Kennywood’s new and higher pay scale is not the only addition to the park this summer. The amusement park will unveil their new roller coaster, “Steel Curtain” as well as a new themed area dubbed, “Steelers Country.”

Paradise says the park’s goal is to put their best foot forward by placing their finest employees in the new addition.

“We’ll be adding Steelers Country and with that a larger workforce,” said Paradise. “We’re looking to put some of our best team there.”

Positions in the new themed area range from operators of Pennsylvania’s newest and tallest roller coaster to employees to serve guests at the End Zone Cafe and tend to Pittsburgh Steeler’s themed games.

Including an amusement park like Kennywood on a person’s resume could really stick out and create a talking point during an interview, says Paradise.

“Having this experience here can have a great foot in the door.”

Kennywood Park is hosting a summer job fair on April 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. where interested candidates can receive more information, interview and get hired on the spot. Paradise says no reservation or appointment is required.

Applicants interested in a summer job at Kennywood can apply here.