About the event

IBM Early Professional Leaders held a special workshop at City & Guilds Headquarters in London for National Apprenticeship Week.

It was delivered by IBM apprentices and exclusively for apprentices of Princess Royal Training Award recipients.

This included apprentices from GSK, the Co-op, East of England Co-op, Legal & General, Wakefield Council, MCFT, Barlows, Medical Defence Union and Childbase Partnership.

Design thinking and leadership

29 apprentices gathered in London to compete in teams, using design thinking to solve challenges whilst reflecting on what it means to be a leader in the 21st century.

Princess Royal Training Awards alumna Kate Ross, Foundation Leader at IBM UK set the scene.

She asked the apprentices to forget about to-do lists. Instead, the leaders of tomorrow needed to master the art of thinking.

‘Thinking is an underrated activity,’ Kate said.

‘Business needs informed leaders who are aware of the wider issues, build trust, unite people, and approach challenges creatively.’

The apprentice teams tested and practiced those skills through empathy maps and storyboards, under the guidance of 7 IBM mentors.

Show and tell

They presented their ideas to a jury composed of alumni and ex-apprentices and all showed a high level of creativity and empathy – key skills for the future!

Congrats to apprentices from MCFT and the Co-op who impressed the judges and received the prize!

A great way to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, and to see some our Princess Royal Training Award alumni again.

Other news stories

Oldham’s Barlows UK gets Royal seal of approval

Barlows and Clifford College based in Chadderton, Lancashire have been awarded the Princess Royal Training Award for the second year in succession. This prestigious award is presented at St. James’ Palace by HRH Princess Anne in her role as President of the City &...

The Princess Royal visits recipients Dovecote Park in Yorkshire

It was great to see our president HRH The Princess Royal on her first official engagement following the COVID-19 pandemic visiting Princess Royal Training Award recipients Dovecote Park in Yorkshire to learn more about their training programme first-hand. Find out...

Virtual coffee: 5 ways to take care of yourself while working from home

Though working from home is common, it’s a whole different kettle of fish when you’re forced to work remotely. And for some, that kettle of fish is literal. ‘My partner cooked fish for lunch today – very inappropriate as my office area is the kitchen/dining table.’...

Developing a talent pipeline in the digital age

How do you prepare your workforce for the future, when that future is uncertain? Tata Steel needed a way to tackle workplace challenges, like: Changing ways of working Traditional roles becoming obsolete New technology Skills gaps So Huw Mathias, Training Delivery...

What difference does training and L&D make?

One of the key objectives of the City & Guilds Foundation is to measure the true influence of skills development. So we surveyed our Awards alumni to find out. Other news stories

3 creative ways to support good mental health at work

Employers see mental health as a workplace issue. And for good reason. Poor mental health cost UK businesses £43 billion a year, according to research from Deloitte. That’s why mental health is often included in staff wellbeing programmes. That can mean anything from...

How to get value out of workplace training

A whopping 9/10 employers struggle to recruit people with the right skills. That’s one reason companies are investing in training programmes to upskill existing staff. How do you make sure you’re getting the greatest return on that investment? Especially when you’re...

Getting the most out of apprentices – lessons from Princess Royal Training Awards recipients

Taking on an apprentice is a big commitment with big potential. How can you get the most value out of your investment? Some of the UK’s most-respected companies share their advice on finding, training, and retaining the best talent: Recruit far and wide ‘Attraction...

City & Guilds Group hosts Alumni pop-up conference on leading with purpose

The City & Guilds Group recently invited Princess Royal Training Awards recipients past and present to attend a pop-up conference in East London. Attendees gathered ahead of the awards ceremony to share best practice in being purpose-driven organisations. It...

The eight leadership secrets of progressive companies

There are companies that always make headlines for being great places to work, like Google and Zappos. What’s their secret? That’s what the company Corporate Rebels wanted to know. It visited more than 150 admired companies to find out what they did differently. Here...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This