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: Majestic win Princess Royal Award for Training

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved the Princess Royal Training Awards standard. We have worked in a partnership with Aston University to develop a placement year for gifted students and we are thrilled that these efforts have been acknowledged by such...

40 organisations to receive royal recognition at this year’s Princess Royal Training Awards

Major UK businesses including RBS, Barclays, and Waitrose have been joined by a women’s refuge and an ambulance trust in being commended by Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne for their commitment to training and skills development. The Haven Wolverhampton, which...

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.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commendation announced for 2020!

Each year, the Princess Royal Training Awards offer an additional commendation for employers who have demonstrated a significant commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). The commendation aims to highlight how providing equal opportunities can unlock...

Celebrating 46 UK organisations who have outstanding workplace training programmes with HRH The Princess Royal

London, Thursday 8th December: On Tuesday 6th December, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, welcomed 46 organisations to Banqueting House in London to celebrate successfully achieving a Princess Royal Training Award for their commitment to training and development....

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...

Skills Share 2024: a room full of training royalty

On 1 May 2024 we launched our first ever Skills Share event at Guildhall, London. This was a space to network and learn from the 200+ organisations who have successfully achieved a Princess Royal Training Award over the past nine years.

Case study: what achieving an Award means for EDM Zone

In this video, Production Manager and former apprentice Roger Wilson talks about how EDM Zone invest in apprentices and how achieving a Princess Royal Training Award in 2021 is having a positive impact on the business.

Oakman Inns to receive royal accolade

Multiple operator Oakman Inns will be presented with an annual Princess Royal Training Award in November. Read more on the Morning Advertiser website: https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2020/08/20/Oakman-Inns-Princess-Royal-award and the Rugby Advertiser...

Case study: increasing the amount of women in leadership roles at Towergate Insurance

Which women in leadership do you admire? Head of Learning & Development, Ian Sadler, adds to the conversation amongst today’s thought leaders on why more women in leadership are needed in male-dominated industries to help organisations stay competitive, and tells...

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.