Pub and restaurant chain Greene King, the owner of Hungry Horse and Loch Fyne Restaurants, will create 3,000 new jobs over the period 2012-14 as it plans to increase the number of outlets in its chain from 950 to 1,100.

The 150 new outlets will begin to open from the start of next year, with 1,000 jobs to be created in each of the three years of the expansion.

A spokesperson for the company says that the roles will be created “across the whole business”, including management and business roles.

A significant proportion of these new hires will be apprentices, the spokesperson says: “We currently have, or will have by the end of 2011, 800 apprentices and are looking to increase apprenticeships to 2,000.”

The spokesperson adds that the company “anticipates that the majority of apprentices will be between the ages of 18-25”.

According to the Press Association, rival Marston’s will also be building another 25 pubs over the next year as part of a drive to create 1,000 jobs.