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

by Nov 20, 2019Alumni news

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 James’s Palace in London.

The awards, now in their fourth year, honour employers in the UK who have created outstanding training and skills development programmes which have resulted in exceptional commercial benefits. The Princess Royal Training Awards recognise the achievement of a standard of excellence rather than selecting overall winners.

Presented by HRH Princess Anne and delivered by the City and Guilds Group, the awards recognised Go North East alongside Gateshead College for their unique Bus Driver Routeway training programme.

The revolutionary programme was created by the organisations, in partnership with the Jobcentre, as a way of improving the recruitment process for the unemployed. Of the 250 learners who have undertaken the programme, success at interview has risen from 27% to 76% and learners gaining employment has increased from 9% to 44%.

Commenting on this year’s recipients and ceremony Chris Jones, Chief Executive of the City and Guilds Group, said: “The Princess Royal Training Awards are a highlight of the year, as we come together to celebrate the outstanding work of businesses around the country who put learning and development firmly at the top of their agenda. The remarkable employers we recognised demonstrate the power that comes from investing in people and training as a vehicle to strengthen organisations and open up opportunities for people.

“We hope that business leaders everywhere will be inspired by the efforts of this year’s PRTA recipients and go the extra mile to ensure their workforce is fit for the future.”

Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director at Go North East, added: “It’s an honour for our unique Bus Driver Routeway training programme to be commended with a Princess Royal Training Award.

Read the full article on the BusinessUpNorth website: https://www.businessupnorth.co.uk/go-north-east-and-gateshead-college-recognised-for-revolutionary-training-programme-at-princess-royal-training-awards/

Other news stories

In the press: Greene King receives royal recognition for commitment to learning and development

Greene King have been commended for its commitment to upskilling its workforce at the Princess Royal Training awards. The awards honour UK employers for their outstanding training and development programmes. HRH Princess Anne personally presented the award to Greene...

46 businesses across the UK recognised by HRH The Princess Royal for excellence in training and development in 2021

HRH The Princess Royal, President of City & Guilds, awards employers who have created outstanding training and skills development programmes which have resulted in measurable business impact over the last 12 months Recipients include those that have...

Case study: transforming leadership at Ricoh UK

Ricoh is one of the recipients from the inaugural year in 2016. This global technology company needed to refocus employees on a strategic approach to business. They used staff to develop elements of the new leadership programme and encouraged self-discovery and ownership of learning. Outcomes include winning a new £5 million contract and a reduction of staff attrition by 10%.

In the press: Suffolk brewer gets the royal treatment

Greene King has been commended for upskilling its workforce at the 2018 Princess Royal Training Awards.Share article from on facebook Tweet article from Share article from on Google Pluspost article from on reddit email article from Share The awards honour UK...

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.

Sharing In Growth programme wins royal training accolade

​Sharing in Growth has been commended by HRH The Princess Royal, President of the City and Guilds Group, by picking up a 2020 Princess Royal Training award. Now in its fifth year, the Princess Royal Training Awards recognise organisations across the UK with...

In the press: Veolia receives Princess Royal Training Award

Veolia has been awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for its recent initiative Respect at Work, which aimed to help staff “better manage potential abuse from members of the public”. The awards were presented by HRH Princess Anne, at a ceremony held at St James’s...

Next Alumni meet-up: Manchester Wednesday 1 May 2019

Everybody agrees that employee experience is crucial to business success ― and yet not many organisations are actively addressing this need. How can employee training and development hep you improve employee experience and enhance the performance of your organisation?...

In the press: 5th annual Princess Royal Training Awards celebrates outstanding business learning programmes

Recipients from a wealth of sectors including health and social care, manufacturing, public sector and technology all proved the value of investing in L&D to address a wide range of business needs. City & Guilds Group has today (14 Aug) announced that 43...

Case study: leadership in The Donkey Sanctuary – making a difference!

Since it was founded in 1969 The Donkey Sanctuary has successfully evolved from modest beginnings to be an employer of over 600 staff and 650 volunteers across the UK and internationally. They also care for over 6,000 donkeys in the UK and Europe, including the...

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.