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

In the press: Go North East And Gateshead College Recognised For Revolutionary Training Programme At Princess Royal Training Awards

Go North East, the region’s largest bus operator, and Gateshead College, the best performing college in England for post 16 education and training, have been commended with a Princess Royal Training Award for their workplace learning at a ceremony that was held at St...

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...

Case study: how dementia-friendly training made East of England Co-operative retailer of choice in the region

The East of England Co-operative has met a community need and found a competitive edge to differentiate its business by becoming the leading dementia-friendly retailer in East Anglia. In response to a growing need to help older people within the community, the Co-op...

Case study: a small programme at MPCT with a big impact

In a post-pandemic world, where mental health issues have risen considerably on a global scale, investing in the mental health and well-being of employees has become increasingly significant for businesses and organisations.MPCTYear awarded 2021Region CardiffSize 178...

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.

In the press: Why applying for business awards is worth the effort

If only there were 25 hours in a day. Faced with competing priorities and with resources often stretched, applying for an award is rarely at the top of any business owner’s agenda – too often we simply don’t have enough time. Yet while there are obvious benefits to...

In the press: The Donkey Sanctuary receives royal recognition for employee training

The Donkey Sanctuary has been commended by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal for its inspirational commitment to the learning and development of its staff. This is the second time the charity has received royal recognition for its work. It was among 48...

In the press: MAB hits 150 awards milestone

Mortgage Advice Bureau has announcd that it has now achieved 150 awards for its quality of advice and service. MAB's's first award was won in 2010, and since then the firm has achieved awards including best overall broker, best broker for protection, technology and...

In the press: Royal seal of approval for JOHNSONS Workwear training

JOHNSONS Workwear's Learning and Development team has been honoured with the Princess Royal Training 2019 Award for its work with the JOHNSONS Academy, following a rigorous assessment process. The Princess Royal Training Awards, now in their fourth year, will be...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

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

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.

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.

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.