Last week, 53 recipients from the UK and Ireland were warmly welcomed to St James’s Palace, in London, to receive their Princess Royal Training Award from Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal.

Now in their eighth year, the Princess Royal Training Awards were set up to reward and celebrate organisations which create outstanding and impactful training and development programmes. These evidence-based Awards are open to applications from any UK-based or Irish organisation which can prove that their investment in L&D results in exceptional benefits for both their people and organisation.

Applications this year cover a wide and diverse range of training, learning and development initiatives. Some organisations were awarded for their programmes focusing on onboarding employees and the impact that investing in new starters can have on their career trajectories and the wider business. Others, including IBM UK Ltd and Royal Mail Group Ltd, put forward their Apprenticeship programmes showcasing the value of combining earning with learning.

One organisation awarded for its training programme geared towards the most disadvantaged in society was East Coast FM. No stranger to the Awards, this community radio station has continued to expand training and employment opportunities which are inclusive to all. 32% of the station’s staff are registered disabled and the station’s audience has increased significantly with it now broadcasting globally.

A number of organisations achieved an Award for their top notch leadership and management programmes. Other organisations which are using training to create a talent pipeline include Durham University, Charterhouse School and leading manufacturer Greencore Group.

Greencore Group’s Learning & Development Manager, Helen Oliphant, clarifies what gaining an Award means to the business:

‘It was important for Greencore to have our LCF programme recognised by the Princess Royal Training Awards as it’s such a prestigious award, and a sought-after kitemark which recognises the quality of learning, and its impact right across the organisation. People are at the core of what we do at Greencore as they are critical to the business achieving our vision and strategy. Having this recognition is an endorsement of our investment in people and shows how committed we are to helping them to grow their careers at Greencore.’   

2023 recipient Ascot Racecourse Ltd achieved an Award for its commitment to upskilling its people after losing many of its staff during the pandemic. The organisation developed a programme to ensure over 3500 employees and contractors are providing high standards of service and delivery on race days and continue to adhere to the ‘Ascot Way.’ The programme’s success has led to sell-out race days and a 10% increase in the training budget for 2023.

President of The City and Guilds of London Institute, HRH The Princess Royal also presented a special commendation to five organisations showcasing their exceptional work around diversity, equity and inclusion. These were: Acacium Group, Amey Plc, Netmatters, Rockleigh Ltd and Taye Training.

For a full list of this year’s recipients and to read more about their training programmes please see: https://princessroyaltrainingawards.com/2023-recipients/

2024 applications open 4 December 2023. To register your interest visit: https://princessroyaltrainingawards.com/how-to-apply/register-your-interest-and-apply/