On Thursday 21 November, 52 recipients from the UK and Ireland were recognised by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal through the Princess Royal Training Awards held at Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. 

Over the past nine years, The Princess Royal Training Awards, delivered by the City & Guilds Foundation, have recognised and celebrated organisations that deliver exceptional and impactful learning and development programmes. This year, a diverse group have been awarded including SMEs, non-profit organisations and large multinational employers, who innovate in key areas such as sustainability, diversity & inclusion and upskilling.  

These prestigious awards celebrate those organisations who make a difference through investing in training their workforce, which in turn contributes to society and the economy. This year’s event also saw previous winners such as Specsavers, The Master Innholders and Unique Senior Care, all re-entering the awards to revalidate their training programmes after three or more years, further supporting their commitment to skills development. 

“Revalidation of the Princess Royal Training Award has enhanced our Apprenticeship development at Specsavers. This prestigious recognition has not only endorsed our commitment to high-quality training but also fostered a culture of continuous growth and loyalty among our colleagues.” said Dena Wyatt, Head of Apprenticeships at Specsavers. 

Tata Steel achieved a revalidation this year for its apprenticeship programme, addressing their need to reinvigorate a new generation of skilled workers. Since achieving the Award in 2019, the steel producing company has continued to invest in training and development with people at the heart of its strategy. Recognising that 30% of its workforce was aged over 50, Tata Steel has recruited 1,500 trainees for programmes ranging from levels 2 to 7, successfully creating sustainable talent pipelines. The company receives 1,500 applications for the 200-300 apprenticeships it has available each year. 

One of the largest national theatre companies in the UK, the National Theatre, developed an apprenticeship programme to address both a lack of diversity in the workforce and skills shortages in backstage roles, particularly focusing on technical and craft areas. Since 2011, 86% of apprentices have completed the training and 90% remain with the profession. In a sector typically resistant to entrants without HE qualifications, the National Theatre has challenged the norm, diversified its workforce and worked towards closing an acute skills gap. 

In a recent Princess Royal Training Awards Alumni survey*, 93% of organisations reported a boost in employee engagement and wellbeing due to investment in learning, 91% saw an increased ability to demonstrate the value of skills to their organisation’s social value and 84% expressed enhanced confidence in their organisation’s culture and training approach. 

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of City & Guilds said: “The Princess Royal Training Awards continue to recognise the strengths of skills training and the value these skills are providing for employers in the UK and Ireland. We are delighted to see so many demonstrate innovation and commitment to developing, and investing into, their workforce. 

With revalidation figures ever growing and previously awarded organisations achieving the Award standard for new programmes, the Princess Royal Training Awards are fast becoming the gold standard for learning and development. To have 52 recipients awarded this year, with many of those being new applicants is truly impressive. And as we enter our 10th year of the Awards, we look forward to continuing to celebrate and recognise even more organisations who believe in, and deliver, excellent training programmes.” 

For a full list of this year’s recipients and their training programmes please see the 2024 recipients page or you can find out how to apply for The Princess Royal Training Awards 2025. 

*City & Guilds (2024) Impact Report 2024: The impact of skills on lives.