5th annual Princess Royal Training Awards celebrates outstanding business learning programmes

UK businesses’ training is recognised by HRH The Princess Royal on the eve of her 70^th birthday – #PrincessRoyalAt70 @RoyalFamily 

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.