Celebrating the Award class of 2020

by Jan 26, 20212020 awards, 2021 Awards, Awards news

On 15 December, we celebrated the innovative training and development successes of the 43 recipients who achieved a Princess Royal Training Award in 2020. By necessity the ceremony was a little different this year. Whilst it needed to take place virtually rather than at St James’ Palace, the champagne, sent to recipients in advance, was ready to be popped. CEO Kirstie Donnelly MBE and Chairman Sir John Armitt CBE were also on hand to congratulate the 39 organisations – who between then received 43 Awards – for showcasing their exceptional training, learning and development programmes and more importantly how these made a real impact to their businesses and to their people.

130 guests attended the event including recipients along with their colleagues and learners, Award assessors and City & Guilds staff members. A highlight of our Award Ceremonies is recipients receiving their Award from HRH The Princess Royal. We were delighted therefore that Princess Anne took the time to pre-record a video message to share with the worthy winners on the day. She congratulated all of the organisations that invested in submitting such high quality applications during a year like no other and said that she hoped to be able to host a future celebration in person, when it was safe to do so.

Kirstie Donnelly spoke to three recipients from very different organisations – Merthyr Tydfil College, Royal Mail and Bouygues – to hear more about how they’ve used training successfully including to initiate culture change, upskill a sales team and develop in-house talent.

“It’s a huge testimony to the importance, benefits and impact of employers continuing to invest in the training and development of their people, their culture and their environment, in order to combat and grow back out of the crisis we have witnessed this year. The fact that you found the capacity to apply for an Award and apply so effectively is a real tribute to you all.”

Kirstie Donnelly, CEO, City & Guilds

Recipients shared some of their own Award stories in break-out groups and we heard about some of the diverse programmes represented from addressing skills shortages and improving sales and customer service offers through to embedding learning cultures and best-in-class apprenticeships. The networking doesn’t stop here though: all Award recipients are invited to join the Awards Alumni, a group of over 200 organisations working together and sharing best practice, and from which many new partnerships and business initiatives are formed.

“Loved the breakout rooms – this was the most engaging virtual award ceremony I have been to yet, so thank you for organising this.”

2020 Ceremony Guest

All Award recipients received a Princess Royal Training Award plaque and certificate and we look forward to continuing working with them through our Alumni network.

Do you know of any organisations who are using training, learning or development to improve their business bottom line and develop their people? The Awards are free to enter and are now open for applications until 31 March 2021.

The Princess Royal Training Awards is actively seeking to increase ethnic diversity in its networks of applicants and alumni and is partnering with Career Nuggets to achieve its aim. The social enterprise’ s mission is to bridge the career progression gap in the BME community in the UK. We are also particularly interested to encourage applications this year from organisations committed to investing in diversity and inclusion through their training and learning initiatives.

Find out more

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