Educ8 one of 46 businesses recognised by HRH The Princess Royal for excellence in training and development in 2021

Following Educ8’s success at the Best Companies awards earlier this year, the training company has been named as one of 46 UK businesses that will be recognised by the 2021 Princess Royal Training Awards.

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 this standard of excellence have created and delivered highly engaging training programmes which have resulted in significant measurable impact.

Organisations receiving the award in 2021 differ in size and include a diverse range of sectors. Large national employers such as Barclays, HMRC and Sky UK through to smaller organisations such as local radio station Diverse FM and children’s charity The Mulberry Bush, are among those to have received this year’s awards. Lloyds Banking Group and Medical Defence Union have each received two awards for two different workplace programmes.

Ann Nicholas, Customer Account Director at Educ8, said:

“It is an honour to be recognised amongst some of the top companies in the UK. The award recognises Educ8’s Workforce Development Programme, rewarding excellence in the workplace and the talent investment in our teams.”

With organisations facing some of the toughest times in history due to the pandemic, many have had to use training to address and adapt to changing business needs. The Master Innholders created an Aspiring Leaders Programme which develops staff in the hospitality sector all across the UK. The programme provides strong online support, offers an ILM level 3 qualification and has kept learners engaged during what has been a particularly challenging time for the industry. Despite the difficulties this industry has faced over the past year, 92% of learners from the previous three virtual cohorts are still working in hospitality.

Several of this year’s Princess Royal Training Awards recipients have innovatively used training as a way of addressing skills shortages and skills gaps in their sector.

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.

For the full list of recipients and their training programmes, please see the 2021 recipients’ page.