In the press: Mitchells & Butlers’ kitchen programme gains royal seal of approval

by Nov 1, 2019Alumni news

Mitchells & Butlers has received a royal accolade for its efforts in recruiting and nurturing chefs to work in its kitchens.

The 1,700-strong pub and restaurant chain set up a ‘Chefs Academy’, offering level 2 and 3 apprenticeships, in response to a chef shortage exacerbated by Brexit.

The programme has significantly boosted kitchen staff retention rates in the business since its launch.

And this week it was presented with a Princess Royal Training Award by HRH Princess Anne in London after being recognised as one of 44 UK-wide organisations delivering outstanding workplace training.
 
Mitchells & Butlers credits the culinary programme, which includes masterclasses with award-winning chefs, with helping it achieve a 70% retention rate, compared to 12% for chefs in the business not undertaking the programme.
 

Other news stories

Case study: providing a state of the art, hands-on training approach at Openreach

This digital network business built a state of the art, replica street so that trainee engineers could really put their learning into practice. Two years ago Openreach decided that it needed to make a significant strategic change to its entire training approach in...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

Royal recognition for UK businesses upskilling their employees

We are happy to announce the names of 48 businesses commended by the 2018 Princess Royal Training Awards. The prestigious Awards honour UK companies including River Island, John Lewis, RBS, the Royal Air Force and GSK for their outstanding training and development...
Read More

A Princess Royal Award for Princess Yachts’ Apprenticeship Programme

South Devon College employer partner, Princess Yachts, are thrilled to announce that they have been awarded a Princess Royal Training Awards for their #Apprenticeship scheme. The awards are selected by HRH The Princess Royal and the President of City & Guilds...
Read More

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...
Read More

In the press: Legal & General recognised for skills training

Legal & General has won a Princess Royal Training Award (PRTA), recognising its StepForward Talent Development Programme. The programme, which is open to around 1,000 employees within the Legal & General’s Insurance (LGI) division, is designed for those who...
Read More

3 creative ways to support good mental health at work

Employers see mental health as a workplace issue. And for good reason. Poor mental health cost UK businesses £43 billion a year, according to research from Deloitte. That’s why mental health is often included in staff wellbeing programmes. That can mean anything from...
Read More

In the press: Eddisbury MP commends Malpas business award win

A MALPAS based business has been praised by the MP for Eddisbury after winning a Princess Royal Training Award. Antoinette Sandbach MP is celebrating Barlows winning the award, after the business was recognised for creating a lasting impact by successfully linking...
Read More

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...
Read More

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...
Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

Foundation & Friends Podcast: Celebrating a Decade of Transformative Training Excellence with Legal & General

Read More

Case study: OnSide Youth Zones

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

Read More

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This
Princess Royal Training Awards
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
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.