Application Support Resource
Welcome to the online application support resource. We have created this page to provide as much information, help and support as possible as you work your way through the application form.
However if you have a question that’s not covered, we are only a call, email or web chat away so please get in touch!
Beginning your application
Submitting evidence
Frequently Asked Questions
Beginning your application
Registering your interest
In order to fill in an application form, you need to register your interest to receive a link to the online form. This link will be emailed to you when you register if applications are open, or on the day that applications open if you registered when applications were closed.
This link is unique to you and will be used throughout your application until you submit it. This way you can save your work and not have to worry about losing your link. If you need a link reminder, or if you need another link for an additional application, let us know and we can send you one.
Applications close on 28 March 2024
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How to use the online application form
Application form sections
We understand that this form takes time to complete and you may not have everything to hand at this moment. That is why we have split the form into sections to make it easier to navigate and pick up where you left off. If you return to the form using the unique link you can easily go straight to the last section you were working on.
Submitting a draft
We offer applicants the opportunity to receive some initial feedback on their draft application from the Assessor Team.
Due to the popularity of this support option, this year we are offering two windows for you to put in a draft version of your application. These are by:
- Wednesday 31 January
- Thursday 29 February
Applicants may only receive feedback once and we ask that you complete the ‘About you and your organisation’ section along with Hallmarks 1, 2 & 3 before sharing your draft via the online application form.
Applying for multiple programmes
If you have more than one programme you’d like to apply for, let us know so we can provide you with another unique link. If you try to register again with the same details you will get the same link again so we will need to give you another unique link for the second programme.
Revalidating an Award
We have included information on this page for previous recipients who are revalidating their Award after three or more years.
The process for revalidation is the same as a normal application, although the criteria in the Hallmarks is slightly different. For more information, see the Revalidation for previous recipients page or look out for Revalidation information in each Hallmark section.
About you, your organisation and your training programme
About you
Most people who complete the application form are filling it in on behalf of themselves. However, occasionally someone fills in the form either on behalf of someone else in their organisation, or (if they work for a training provider) on behalf of a client. Please let us know who you are filling in the application form on behalf of so that we can make sure we are contacting the correct person through the application process.
Please note we will use the information you supply to contact you about your application, and if your application is successful we will invite you (or your designated contact) to Alumni events throughout the year. You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. Please see our privacy policy for more information.
About your organisation
Please provide information about your organisation. You have 200 words to describe your business, its purpose and its vision. This provides us with some great context before we ask you about your training, learning and development programme in further detail.
About your training programme
Please provide information about your training programme. The type of things we ask you for are:
- Check your eligibility to see if you are eligible to apply for an Award
- Title of your training / learning and development programme
- Location of the training
- Number of people who have undertaken the training
- Function / department where the training took place
- Who delivered the training
- Timescales of the programme
- If the application is new or a revalidation
Revalidation: About your training programme
There are a couple of additional questions if you are revalidating a previous Award. The Assessors would like a summary of your original application and to hear what has happened since you were last awarded.
Summary of your original application
Please give a brief summary of your original application to provide the assessor with context when reviewing your form. For this question, you can simply copy the summary from this website’s recipients pages and paste the text into the form. You have up to 100 words for this question but do not have to use all of them if you are copying and pasting the summary.
What has happened since this programme was last awarded?
For this question you have up to 400 words to describe what has happened since you received a Princess Royal Training Award for this programme. Remember to include information about the strategic need and if this has changed or not, whether the design and delivery changed and provide an overview of the impact the programme has had since the Award was first achieved.
The Hallmarks
Hallmark 1: Why?
Hallmark 2: How?
Hallmark 3: What?
The Awards are evidence-based and applications are assessed against a standard of excellence, which we call Hallmarks. This means that organisations don’t compete against each other; instead they need to show that through their exceptional training and development programmes they are meeting a standard of excellence.
The main section of the online application is divided into 3 Hallmarks which cover the Why, How and What. Each Hallmark contains two questions along with the criteria and number of marks available for that question.
It’s important to read through the criteria carefully and ensure that your response addresses each of the points. If you are unsure if something is relevant to include, or you’re not sure how much to focus on a particular point, please contact us as we’re happy to talk it through with you.
Hallmark 1: Why?
Question 1: Why did you choose training, learning and development to address a challenge or opportunity?
10 marks
- What was the challenge or opportunity you were seeking to address?
- Why did you choose to address it through staff development?
- What were the specific aims and objectives and what would success look like?
Revalidation criteria for Hallmark 1 Q1
- Why have you continued to use this training programme to address the challenge or opportunity?
- What were the specific aims and objectives and have they changed?
Don’t forget to tell us what the challenge or opportunity was in your organisation that you needed to address through the training.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 250 words.
Question 2: Tell us about your organisation’s commitment to staff development.
10 marks
- Your organisation demonstrates a clear commitment to staff development which has the support of all levels of management
- The organisation promotes diversity, equity and inclusion by providing opportunities for unlocking individual potential, actively encourages training, learning & development and motivates employees to learn in an inclusive way
Revalidation criteria for Hallmark 1 Q2
- Describe the strategic context for the programme and your organisation’s commitment to training, learning and development
- The organisation promotes diversity, equity and inclusion, unlocking individual potential, actively encouraging training, learning & development and motivating employees to learn in an inclusive way. Has anything changed to make training more inclusive
This question is asking about your organisation’s overall commitment to staff development, not just the programme you are describing in the rest of the application.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 250 words.
Supporting evidence for Hallmark 1
Examples of supporting evidence for this Hallmark could include some of the following:
- Concise extracts from business plans
- Training/learning and development strategy papers
- Performance figures showing: turnover, sales, service levels, engagement surveys; statistics which show a business justification for the training
- Summary data showing numbers of trainees, qualifications completed, outcomes achieved
- Inclusion and diversity policies and other examples of how specific learning styles and needs have been addressed allowing the training to be as inclusive as possible
- Assessment or inspections by external bodies
- Relevant accreditations
- Abbreviated examples of individual training/learning plans
Please note all information provided to support the application is kept confidential.
For more general information about preparing evidence files for upload, please see the Submitting evidence section below.
Hallmark 2: How?
Question 1: How was the programme designed and delivered?
15 marks
- How you designed and delivered the training, learning & development programme
- Explain anything distinctive, creative or innovative about the programme and the technology or resources used to deliver it
- Evidence is provided about the inclusive nature of your training programme and how you responded to the different needs of participants
Revalidation criteria for Hallmark 2 Q1
- Tell us how you have built on the design and delivery of the programme, highlight any changes you have made and provide the rationale for this
- Explain anything distinctive, creative or innovative about the programme and the technology or resources used to deliver it since you achieved the award
- Evidence is provided about the inclusive nature of your training programme, how you responded to the different needs of participants and anything that has changed to make it more inclusive since the award was achieved
Top tip: include an illustration or graphic of the programme overview in the evidence file.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 300 words.
Question 2: How did you evaluate the training, learning and development?
15 marks
- How you evaluated the programme and any improvements or changes you made as a result of evaluation (5 marks)
- What were the financial and/or other input resources such as time? Were these cost effective in relation to the outcomes and how was this measured? (10 marks)
Revalidation criteria for Hallmark 2 Q2
- How you evaluated the programme and any improvements or changes you made as a result of evaluation since the award was last achieved (5 marks)
- What were the financial and/or other input resources such as time since the award was last achieved? Have these continued to be cost effective in relation to the outcomes and how was this measured? (10 marks)
Whilst some organisations can show a financial return on investment (ROI) in relation to the training, learning or development, many other organisations may instead measure return on expectations (ROE). Make sure to include either of these in your application and share your workings in the evidence file. You need to be able to show how you are measuring the effectiveness of the training and it is important to include any input resources such as time spent, costs and resources against the training outcomes.
Then you can go on to explain how you are evaluating the programme and any changes you’ve made because of what you’ve learnt from that evaluation.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 300 words.
Supporting evidence for Hallmark 2
Examples of supporting evidence for this Hallmark could include some of the following:
- Facts and figures showing what happened and to whom (presented as tables or graphs), summaries of programme content, snapshots of individual training plans
- Examples of material adapted or designed for specific audiences
- Examples of particularly innovative activities that have enhanced the learning such as role plays, blended learning, gamification etc.
- Illustration or graphic of the programme overview
- Extracts explaining the rationale for the learning methodology chosen in order to meet the organisational need
- Financial or other performance-related information to show how resources have been used efficiently and effectively (cost of materials, training staff, any funding received etc)
- Learning success rates, evaluation processes and outcomes and details of any measures for improvement.
Please note all information provided to support the application is kept confidential.
For more general information about preparing evidence files for upload, please see the Submitting evidence section below.
Hallmark 3: What?
Question 1: What impact did the programme have on the success of your organisation?
20 marks
- The programme was successful in achieving its aims and objectives and has made a measurable impact on improved organisational performance (15 marks)
- How has the success of this programme influenced the organisation’s commitment to staff development? (5 marks)
Revalidation criteria for Hallmark 3 Q1
- The programme was successful in achieving its aims and objectives and continues to make a measurable impact on improved organisational performance (15 marks)
- How has the success of this programme influenced the organisation’s commitment to staff development since the award was last achieved? (5 marks)
Has your Learning and Development strategy developed as a result of the training? If it has, tell us about it here.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 350 words.
Question 2: What impact did the programme have on the success of your people?
20 marks
- The programme has a sustainable impact on your people and their performance in the organisation
- How the training, learning & development impacted on the capabilities and skills of the individual participants
Revalidation criteria for Hallmark 3 Q2
- The programme continues to have a sustainable impact on your people and their performance in the organisation
- How the training, learning & development impacted on the capabilities and skills of the individual participants since the award was last achieved.
Learner’s voice: A great way to bring your application to life is by including quotes, testimonials and real examples from trainees on how they are putting learning into practice in your supporting evidence.
If participants are involved in taking ownership of their learning and development needs, please mention that here.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 350 words.
Supporting evidence for Hallmark 3
Examples of supporting evidence for this Hallmark could include some of the following:
- Data demonstrating improved organisational performance which can be linked directly back to the learning initiative, such as sales and profitability, improved market share, employee retention/attraction, improved products or services, reduced complaints
- Survey summary data demonstrating customer satisfaction and loyalty, increased brand awareness or reputation
- Data demonstrating improved employee engagement and performance which is directly linked to the training programme
- Testimonials from managers to illustrate improved performance
- Appraisals/performance management data which records levels of performance
- Testimonials illustrating how training has met individual needs, what has been learnt and how it has been applied
- Examples of how participants are actively managing their own learning
- Snapshots/summaries of evaluation feedback forms.
Please note all information provided to support the application is kept confidential.
For more general information about preparing evidence files for upload, please see the Submitting evidence section below.
Sharing Best Practice
What aspects of your programme could other organisations learn from or replicate?
Assessors want to know how other organisations could benefit from the approach taken to the design, development, and implementation of your programme.
Don’t forget to include any additional or unexpected benefits you identified as a result of the programme.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 200 words.
Endorsement
Why are you supporting this initiative and how does it fit into the strategic vision of your organisation?
Applicants are asked to provide a statement from senior management supporting the application and confirming the benefits of the initiative to the success of the organisation.
Please note: you can send this section to your senior manager to complete or they can send you a statement for you to put into the form.
For this question, you are allowed a maximum of 100 words.
Submitting evidence
You can upload one document up to 9 pages, 6MB in size and 1500 words to support your application
We know that the word count for answering the questions in the application form is challenging. That’s why you have the option of including additional supporting evidence to support each of the three Hallmarks and we strongly recommend you do so.
Within each of the Hallmark sections in this Application Support Resource we have provided examples of documents that you may want to provide as supporting evidence if they support and add further clarity to your responses.
Please cut and paste only the relevant snippets or sections of documents. We recommend that you copy and paste all of your supporting evidence per Hallmark into one document i.e. Word, PowerPoint or PDF and clearly label each section. It would be even better if you can reference in your response where the supporting evidence further supports a point made.
For specific advice about what to upload for each hallmark see Hallmark 1, Hallmark 2 and Hallmark 3 evidence.
- Refer to the Application Support Resource as you complete your application as it contains important information about the criteria and examples of supporting evidence.
- Provide supporting organisational metrics such as charts, graphs and histograms.
- Include statistics, quantifiable and comparative data.
- Use only the relevant sections of a document that best support your point rather than full versions of documents.
- New for 2024: you can upload a single document up to 9 pages, 5MB and 1500 words to support your application.
- Don’t include external links or videos in your application. Whilst you can reference a video or include a screenshot in your evidence so that this can be discussed in further detail should your application progress to the next stage of the process, Assessors can’t click on external links included in your application.
Make reference to everything that you want to include. If something isn’t mentioned in your application, Assessors cannot take it into account during the next stage of the application process should you proceed to this stage.
Please note: All information is treated as strictly confidential and will not be shared outside the Assessment Team.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information please see our Frequently Asked Questions.
