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

Case study: providing media training opportunities to disadvantaged young people at Reprezent Radio

This video shows a look behind the scenes at Reprezent Radio, a South London radio station and social enterprise. Reprezent created the Sounds of Young London scheme to provide media training opportunities to disadvantaged young people. The practical training programme has seen an impressive number of young people into employment and gained commercial interest from some of the world’s biggest brands. Reprezent received a Princess Royal Training Award in 2018.

Belfast Met: The Ripple Effect of receiving a Princess Royal Training Award

Rebecca Roberts shares how achieving an award helped move Health and Wellbeing higher up Belfast Met’s agenda.

UK businesses’ training is recognised by HRH The Princess Royal on her 70th birthday

HRH The Princess Royal, President of City & Guilds Group, recognises organisations whose training has delivered measurable business impact Businesses continue to deliver excellent training programmes in the Princess Royal Training Award’s fifth year, despite the...

In the press: Royal seal of approval for Go North East and Gateshead College’s training initiative

Go North East, the region’s largest bus company, and Gateshead College, the best performing college in England for post 16 education and training, have received a royal seal of approval for their unique Bus Driver Routeway training programme in this year’s Princess...

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.’...

Case study: OnSide Youth Zones

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

In the press: Milton Keynes childcare provider gets Royal approval

Newport Pagnell's Childbase Partnership is celebrating a Princess Royal Training Award for its bespoke programme Teach to Reach. The awards, presented by Princess Anne at St James’s Palace, celebrate exceptional training and development programmes across the country....

In the press: Princess Yachts receives Princess Royal Training Award

Princess Yachts has announced that is has been awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for its apprenticeship scheme, awards are selected by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and the president of City & Guilds Group to recognise organisations whose training...

In the press: Using training to respond to new challenges

If 2017 taught us anything, it’s that none of us knows what the future holds. We can make as many predictions as we like, but the reality is that life will always throw the unexpected at us. That’s true on a personal level, but it will also sound familiar to anyone...

Case study: investing in young people beginning careers in STEM at BAE Systems

How do you inspire the next generations to work in your industry? See how 2021 Princess Royal Training Awards Winner BAE Systems, led by Head of Apprenticeships & Skills Mark Donnelly, recruited 700 plus apprentices last year, 90% aged between 16 and 25, from...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

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

Celebrating award-winning apprenticeships with The Princess Royal Training Award recipient, National Theatre

This week, Her Royal Highness visited the National Theatre to celebrate its pioneering apprenticeship programme, recognised with a 2024 Princess Royal Training Award (PRTA) and a special Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Commendation. The additional DEI...

How Liberty Kitchen is using skills to unlock potential and productivity

When Liberty Kitchen received a Princess Royal Training Awards in 2025, the recognition went beyond a training initiative. It provided a powerful example of how opening access to skills can support rehabilitation and create wider benefits for individuals, communities...

Celebrating community radio champions who are investing in skills, inclusion and opportunity

Across the UK, community radio stations play an extraordinary role — not just in broadcasting, but in transforming lives. On World Radio Day we wanted to spotlight four of the outstanding radio stations that have been recognised through our Princess Royal Training...

A decade of excellence: Royal recognition for UK and Irish organisations honoured at the Princess Royal Training Awards

The Princess Royal Training Awards are the UK and Ireland’s premier awards programme for recognising training excellence. On Tuesday 2 December, in an awards ceremony at Fishmongers Hall, the City & Guilds Foundation had the honour of recognising 56 outstanding...

HRH The Princess Royal celebrates best-in-class workplace training in 10th anniversary year for Awards

HRH The Princess Royal, President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, awards employers for outstanding training and skills development programmes which have positively impacted organisations, people and wider society. 15 August 2025: City & Guilds has...

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.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This