Education organisations across the UK receive Royal recognition

City & Guilds Group (@cityandguilds) has today announced that 46 businesses will be recognised by the 2021 Princess Royal Training Awards, with six of these organisations in the education sector – including Bridgend College (@BridgendCollege), Eyres Monsell Primary School (@EyresMonsellPri), Mojatu Foundation (@MojatuF), MPCT (@MPCT_HQ), The Educ8 Training Group (@Educ8_Wales) and WenLin Chinese School (@WenLin_Chinese).

Currently in its sixth year, The Princess Royal Training Awards recognise and celebrate organisations across the United Kingdom which have demonstrated exceptional commitment to training and development. Despite facing unprecedented challenges due to Covid-19, the organisations receiving the standard of excellence have created and delivered highly engaging training programmes which have resulted in significant measurable impact.  

There’s no question that the education sector experienced increased pressure throughout the pandemic due to various lockdowns, with teachers and students having to adapt to new ways of learning. Eyres Monsell Primary School, based in an area of significant deprivation in Leicester, created the Spotlight Programme to develop teacher self-efficacy and improve their mental health, following feedback that many of their staff were struggling to cope during the pandemic. Following the rollout of the programme, attrition of Newly Qualified Teachers has reduced to nil and the capacity for staff to manage their wellbeing has increased, with 84% continuing to access coaching. 

The WenLin Chinese School created a training programme designed to deliver effective virtual teaching. Making online learning more memorable and enjoyable was not only a way of engaging the learners, but it was also a matter of financial survival for this small language school in 2020. Teacher training was provided to share new ways of delivering lessons successfully online, and as a result teachers now feel supported and empowered to discuss new methods of learning, and student numbers have increased significantly in 2021.

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Group said:

“The last 18 months have caused disruption to the way most organisations operate which has led to major changes for all of us in how we live and work. Despite these challenges, it’s fantastic to see so many organisations’ continued commitment to training and development as well as the positive and life changing impact learning can have on people.”

Previous recipients of a Princess Royal Training Award have reported clear positive impacts on their business, with 82% saying it has improved recruitment and retention and 62% reporting increased investments into training programmes. This will be paramount when it comes to helping businesses recover post-covid, closing sector skills gaps and promoting a culture of skills development.