In the press: 5th annual Princess Royal Training Awards celebrates outstanding business learning programmes

by Aug 14, 20202020 awards, In the press

Recipients from a wealth of sectors including health and social care, manufacturing, public sector and technology all proved the value of investing in L&D to address a wide range of business needs.

City & Guilds Group has today (14 Aug) announced that 43 workplace learning programmes have been commended by the 2020 Princess Royal Training Awards.

Now in its fifth year, the Princess Royal Training Awards recognise employers across the United Kingdom with outstanding training and development programmes that have had a direct impact on business performance. 2020 winners demonstrated exceptional commitment to training, despite facing unprecedented challenges of Covid-19.

Organisations that have met the standard in 2020 differ in size and sector. From Willis Tower Watson, Co-op and Royal Mail Group through to smaller organisations such as Gateway Community Ltd, Springhill Hospice and Umbrella Training and Employment Solutions Ltd. Of the 39 organisations awarded, four will receive Awards for two separate training programmes: Covance Laboratories Limited; Exponential-e; HMRC and Serco Group.

2020 has seen a wide range of applications using training to address challenges across a variety of differing priorities. For some it was establishing the foundation for long-term organisational survival, such as manufacturing organisation Stainless Metalcraft, which in light of 35% of its workforce being due to retire within the next 10 years, overhauled its apprenticeship programme to reinvigorate the business. For others it was responding to significant threats and implementing culture change like The College Merthyr Tydfil which created an organisation-wide programme in the face of dealing with significant challenges due to huge changes in education structures in the local area. Various organisations focused on how they have encouraged their employees to re-skill in order to address organisation or wider sector skills gaps.

Dovecote Park, which provides the majority of meat to Waitrose supermarkets, introduced a new apprenticeship which led to doubling their number of female butchers including the training of a former cleaner who expressed an interest in the butchery side of the business.

Another recipient – Energus nucleargraduates – established by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, delivers a nuclear graduate programme developing highly skilled individuals to address skills gaps in the industry. Energus’s innovative approach, working with host organisations for placements, has led to over 380 qualified graduates, a 46% current female intake and all course completers still being employed by their host organisations.

Commenting on this year’s recipients Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Group said:

“Congratulations to all of the organisations who have achieved the Princess Royal Training Awards standard of excellence this year. We know that having a highly skilled workforce will be essential as we start to rebuild our economy post Covid-19, and in increasingly uncertain times making sure we invest in people has never been more important, nor has continuing to showcase the impact it has on organisational success.”

Previous winners have reported a number of benefits arising from the Awards, including increased investment into training programmes, improved recruitment and retention, and getting HR and Learning & Development to the table when it comes to business strategy: all of which will be useful as businesses work towards recovery post-COVID.

For the full list of recipients and their training programmes, please see the 2020 recipients page.

Originally posted on the FE News website.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Celebrating the impact of learning and development

At the heart of City & Guilds is our purpose which has skills development deep rooted in it. And through the Foundation one of our jobs is to celebrate where really great skills development is happening, and an example of how we do that is our Princess Royal Training Award programme.

Princess Royal Training Awards 2023 Recipients: in the press

Here is a roundup of the media coverage following the announcement of the 2023 Princess Royal Training Awards recipients. National news FE News:...

53 Princess Royal Training Awards across UK and Ireland for achieving positive impact through skills development

HRH The Princess Royal, President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, has approved 53 Awards to a range of organisations across the UK and Ireland, for their outstanding training and skills development programmes, all of which have shown a significant positive...

Demonstrating the impact of outstanding training with The Princess Royal Training Awards class of 2022

It’s not often you can bring a range of employers together in a room from large multinational banks to small charities devoted to the welfare of donkeys; this is what makes The Princess Royal Training Awards so unique. Now in its seventh year, The Princess Royal...

Celebrating 46 UK organisations who have outstanding workplace training programmes with HRH The Princess Royal

London, Thursday 8th December: On Tuesday 6th December, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, welcomed 46 organisations to Banqueting House in London to celebrate successfully achieving a Princess Royal Training Award for their commitment to training and development....

Outstanding workplace training programmes recognised in HRH The Princess Royal’s training awards

HRH The Princess Royal, President of City & Guilds, awards employers with outstanding training and skills development programmes which have been proven to have significant positive impact on their business or their staff More apprenticeship programmes have been...

HRH The Princess Royal visits Xtrac Academy

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal’s visit to meet recipients of her eponymous Princess Royal Training Award, assessed by City & Guilds she serves as president, was accommodated by the motorsport & automotive transmission technology specialist Xtrac at its...

HRH The Princess Royal visits The Thames Skills Academy

HRH The Princess Royal met members of The Thames Skills Academy (TSA) on 10 May, in a visit showcasing pioneering work to improve safety skills for everyone working on and beside the river. At the end of her tour at Butler’s Wharf, led by TSA’s CEO Katherine Riggs and...

48 UK organisations celebrate the Princess Royal Training Awards with HRH Princess Anne

On Thursday 28th April, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, welcomed 48 organisations to Mansion House in London to celebrate them receiving Princess Royal Training Awards for their commitment to training and development in 2021.   Currently in its sixth...

Why (and How) there are more Women in Leadership roles at Finance Company, Towergate Insurance

Which women in leadership do you admire? Head of Learning & Development, Ian Sadler, adds to the conversation amongst today’s thought leaders on why more women in leadership are needed in male-dominated industries to help organisations stay competitive, and tells...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This