Gen2 welcomes HRH The Princess Royal

by Jul 3, 2019Awards news

Gen2 were delighted to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to their Head Office in Workington, Cumbria to officially open the building.

Gen2 is the largest training provider to the UK civil nuclear industry working with over 250 employers. In 2017 it became part of the City & Guilds Group as well as the first City & Guilds Institute of Advanced Technology. It was an honour to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to Gen2 in her role as the President of The City and Guilds of London Institute.

HRH The Princess Royal meeting with Chris Jones at Gen2

The Princess was welcomed by the Chairman of The Institute, Sir John Armitt, as well as CEO Chris Jones and the management team, staff and learners at Gen2. Also in attendance were local Princess Royal Training Awards recipients Energus who received the honour in 2017 for their nucleargraduates programme.

During the visit Her Royal Highness had the opportunity to meet Gen2 apprentices and hear about their studies before taking a tour of the engineering workshops. After the official opening of the Head Office The Princess was presented with a gift on behalf of all Gen2 apprentices by Mechanical Design and Draughting Apprentice, Sam Cavan from Oxley Developments.

The new head office represents a multi-million pound investment which has allowed substantial expansion of the company’s training and educational services for the energy, engineering and advanced manufacturing business sectors in Cumbria and beyond. The development of the facility was supported by funding from the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce via the Cumbria Growth Fund.

The 7,000 sq metre facility includes 3,000 sq metres of cutting-edge engineering training workshops equipped with the latest specialist equipment and machinery, along with over 20 classrooms and in-house catering. These facilities have created new opportunities for Gen2’s existing clients throughout Cumbria and allow the not-for-profit organisation to fulfil ambitions to substantially expand the range of services on offer to new customers.

HRH The Princess Royal meeting with Gen2 apprentices

Paul Storey, Gen2’s Managing Director said ‘We are privileged that Her Royal Highness took the time to visit our Head Office and workshops to experience at first hand some of the high quality apprentice training which is available within our region. The Princess Royal is an avid supporter of excellence in training and development, we hope that the visit today showcased how we help address current and future skills demand in the local area for apprentices and for our commercial clients.’

Chris Jones CEO of the City & Guilds Group said ‘We were delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness to open the Head Office in Workington. STEM skills are vital part for the growth of the UK economy and delivery of technical training is a core part of our heritage. Energy, engineering and advanced manufacturing needs a skilled workforce, fit for the future. The new head office will help us ensure the industry can thrive through investment in skills development in Cumbria and across the country.’

Other news stories

Oakman Inns’ training scheme gets royal approval for second time

Oakman Inns is to be presented with the annual Princess Royal Training Award, receiving the accolade for the second time in the programme’s five-year history. The City and Guilds Group announced that the pub group will be one of 43 recipients from 39 organisations who...

Case study: prioritising talent to open up opportunities to women at Amey

This leading infrastructure services and engineering company identified the Women@Amey network to attract and retain women in a male-dominated industry. Amey PlcYear awarded 2023Region LondonSize 1000+ employeesSector Construction and engineering“A great opportunity...

Case study: an innovative approach to apprenticeships at Xtrac

Xtrac, a world-leading manufacturer of transmission solutions for motorsports and the high-performance automotive industry, was facing a developing skills gap resulting from an ageing workforce in the automotive sector.XtracYear awarded 2021Region ThatchamSize 250-999...

In the press: Snow-Camp Charity awarded Princess Royal Training Award

HRH Princess Anne, who is the president of the global skills development body announced the winners on her birthday on 15 August 2019. Snow-Camp, the UK’s only registered charity turning young lives around through snowsports, has been awarded a Princess Royal...

Case study: how IBM recruits a diverse workforce

In this video, IBM Foundation Managers Joel Thomas and Kelly Markwick talk about how IBM are actively recruiting a diverse workforce. IBM achieved a Princess Royal Training Award in 2021.

Case study: the impact of royal recognition on Home Instead Senior Care

The Princess Royal Training Awards is a new honour for employers in the UK who have created outstanding training and skills development programmes which have resulted in exceptional commercial benefits. Home Instead Senior Care UK is one of the recipients from the inaugural year in 2016.

Case study: Pret A Manger

Hear about Princess Royal Training Award recipients Pret A Manger and their award-winning Pret Academy in this video.

Case study: Islamic Relief investing in the life-blood of the organisation

In 2016 Islamic Relief made the decision to change how it trained its volunteers in order to reduce turnover and stand out in a competitive market place. The Volunteer Leadership Programme was created and 1000 volunteers registered for one of 30 places.Impact from the...

Royal seal of approval for nucleargraduates again

A west Cumbrian training organisation is celebrating after scooping an award that recognises excellence in workplace learning programmes for the second time. Lillyhall-based nucleargraduates is one of only 43 recipients from a range of sectors nationally to be given...

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...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

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

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the importance of creating aspirations for young people

n this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the diverse range of Princess Royal Training Award organisations

In this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the value of City & Guilds to society

In this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

HRH The Princess Royal discusses the changing world of skills

In this video series, Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, talks with our president HRH The Princess Royal about the importance of skills on society, about the role we play as an organisation and about the Awards that we created in her name – The Princess Royal Training Awards – which are celebrating their tenth anniversary.

A decade of excellence and a room full of inspiration – Princess Royal Training Awards Skills Share 2025

On 30 April 2025, City & Guilds hosted its second-ever Skills Share event – this time at the stunning Goldsmiths’ Hall in London – marking a major milestone: 10 years of the Princess Royal Training Awards. With over 130 Award recipients in attendance, the event was not just a celebration but a forum for shared learning, inspiration and reflection on what a decade of investment in skills development really means.

Ten Years of the Princess Royal Training Awards

In the tenth year of the Princess Royal Training Awards we take a look back at some of the recipients including Balfour Beatty, Fifty Shades Greener and Pret A Manger to find out what achieving the standard means to them and their organisations.

Case study: OnSide Youth Zones

Hear about Princess Royal Training Award recipients OnSide and their award-winning youth centres in this video.

Case study: Pret A Manger

Hear about Princess Royal Training Award recipients Pret A Manger and their award-winning Pret Academy in this video.

Case study: The Dean Hotel Group and Fifty Shades Greener, our first recipients from Ireland

In this video hear about Princess Royal Training Award recipients The Dean Hotel and Fifty Shades Greener, our first recipients from Ireland.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
Princess Royal Training Awards
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. For more information see our Privacy Policy.