In the press: MP celebrates local business’ Princess Royal Training Award win

by Aug 21, 2019Alumni news

Antoinette Sandbach, MP for Eddisbury, is celebrating Barlows (UK) Ltd being awarded a Princess Royal Training Award.

The family-run business, based in Malpas, created a lasting impact by successfully linking their skills development needs to the company’s overall performance.

The electrical business puts training at the heart of its strategy with 95% of its staff having undertaken an apprenticeship.

The programme is embedded and integrated in the business and led passionately from the top-down, meaning that work is carried out in ‘the Barlows way’.

There is a 97% retention rate of employees and the business has grown solidly for the past 25 years, even during recession periods.

Read the full article on the So Cheshire website: https://www.so-cheshire.co.uk/mp-celebrates-local-business-princess-royal-training-award-win/

Other news stories

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...

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...

In the press: A royal flush: future-proofing the Exponential-e team with Princess Anne

For any future-facing organisation, the importance of ample learning and development (L&D) cannot be overstated. A few months ago, our L&D team entered the Princess Royal Training Awards (PRTAs) -- and we are delighted to announce that we were successful in...

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: A scalable and sustainable solution to skills shortages and unemployment at Netmatters

As a small-medium web design, IT support and digital marketing business based in East Anglia, Netmatters Ltd has big ideas. In 2020 the organisation achieved a Princess Royal Training Award for its delivery of in-house technical training.NetmattersYear awarded:...

In the press: Bartlett Mitchell report organic growth drives 16% increase in turnover

Bartlett Mitchell, one of the UK’s leading independent caterers, has announced a 16% increase in turnover – driven through organic growth and strong client retention. For the period ending 31 October 2018, the company has posted a record £45.5m in overall turnover. It...

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.

How to get value out of workplace training

A whopping 9/10 employers struggle to recruit people with the right skills. That’s one reason companies are investing in training programmes to upskill existing staff. How do you make sure you’re getting the greatest return on that investment? Especially when you’re...

Case study: investing in training to boost morale and motivation at Royal Bank of Scotland

Since the global financial crisis, RBS has been undergoing large-scale reorganisation and this has presented challenges in terms of staff engagement, customer experience and business outcomes. In 2015, the business introduced a new leadership programme to help address...

City & Guilds Group hosts Alumni pop-up conference on leading with purpose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5vGl2mfi2I The City & Guilds Group recently invited Princess Royal Training Awards recipients past and present to attend a pop-up conference in East London. Attendees gathered ahead of the awards ceremony to share best practice in...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

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

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.

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.

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.