City & Guilds Princess Royal Training Awards announcement

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 recognised in 2022, recognising their ability to address skills shortages and increase workplace diversity
• The first programme dedicated to improving knowledge on climate change and net zero has been awarded in 2022

City & Guilds has today announced that 47 training programmes will be recognised by the 2022 Princess Royal Training Awards.

Now in its seventh year, The Princess Royal Training Awards continue to recognise organisations truly demonstrating exceptional commitment to learning and development. With skills shortages across the UK increasing and job vacancies doubling, creating engaging learning programmes to grow and retain new and existing talent has never been more crucial. 

From small not-for-profit organisations to large multinational employers, the recipients of the award continue to be refreshingly diverse and increasingly innovative in their approach to learning and development each year. Some strong themes have emerged from the programmes created in 2022, including Inclusion & Diversity, quality cross-organisational apprenticeships, and access schemes designed to open up new talent pools and address critical skills gaps. 

One of the recipients putting innovation and forward thinking at the heart of their training is OVO Energy with their award-winning programme ‘Changing behaviour through sharing knowledge’. OVO aims to promote net-zero carbon living by equipping employees with knowledge and skills that can be transferred to their customers. The programme has resulted in increased knowledge of climate change (91%), energy transition (95%) and reducing carbon footprints (94%), and 76% of staff remain committed to their action pledges. The training has been so successful with employees that it has now been made available to the wider public, delivering even greater impact. 

Hospitality chain Greene King was recognised for its work enhancing social mobility through apprenticeships which created opportunities for young people. This national pub retailer and brewer achieved an Award in 2019 for an apprenticeship programme which has expanded and progressed to enhance employment opportunities for disadvantaged individuals. In addition to high retention rates compared to the rest of the hospitality sector (67%), the range of apprenticeships has increased, a Chef academy has been launched and 64% of employees who started an apprenticeship are still employed at the company.

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds said:

“The Princess Royal Training Awards demonstrate how training and development can open up opportunities and attract new talent to industries with significant skills gaps and labour shortages. Yet again, this year’s recipients have shown the range and depth of learning and development that is taking place in their own organisations to shape growth and positivity, from the power of skills development to address issues such as improving diversity and inclusion, through to programmes to address the ongoing impact of climate change. As we all work towards a net zero future, we hope to see even more training programmes recognised for their work in supporting this vitally important issue, amongst many other areas that create organisational and people development.”

The Princess Royal Training Awards continue to support applicants to understand how to apply successfully for an award. This year saw the introduction of ‘tea and chat’ virtual drop-in sessions for applicants to ask any informal questions, along with a widening participation pilot scheme to help more diverse organisations apply. Training providers working in collaboration with employers can now be recognised when part of a successful application and previous recipients are encouraged to apply for revalidation. 

For a full list of this year’s recipients and their training programmes please see the 2022 recipients page or you can find out how to apply for The Princess Royal Training Awards 2023 here.