44 UK organisations including The Clink, Black and White Hospitality and Mitchells & Butlers, are celebrating after being commended with a Princess Royal Training Award for their workplace learning at a ceremony held at St James’s Palace in London last night.
Presented by HRH Princess Anne and delivered by the City and Guilds Group, the Princess Royal Training Awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate exceptional training and development programmes across the country.
Ranging from apprenticeship schemes and interactive workshops to mental health and employee wellbeing programmes, the businesses recognised this year displayed an exceptional dedication into training, upskilling and reskilling their workforce. Crucially, all were able to prove that the training had a substantial impact on their organisation and its people.
Included in the list of recipients are leading hospitality businesses, each were recognised for their innovative vision and dedication to addressing the specific challenges their industries face with highly effective training schemes.
The Clink charity equipped its staff to train, assess and support offenders to encourage them to gain City & Guilds qualifications in hospitality and catering, making them less likely to re-offend.
The Clink L-R Chris Moore, CEO – Jemma Smith, General Manager Trainer – Paul Clarkson, Quality and Training ManagerCommenting on the Award, Chris Moore, CEO, The Clink Charity said: “Receiving recognition from HRH Princess Anne and The Princess Royal Training Awards is such an honour for all of us at The Clink Charity. Our dedication to reducing reoffending through training prisoners to gain their City & Guilds qualifications plus skills pertinent to the Hospitality sector has been recognised at the highest level, and we are delighted. Our staff are the centre-point of this award: I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them.”
The rapidly expanding franchise restaurant business Black and White Hospitality developed a training programme focusing on brand integration and engagement in order to improve guest satisfaction. In an extremely transient industry, the training was developed to be accessible and interactive and included training buddies and champions. Following the training, both mystery diner scores and guest satisfaction responses have improved across restaurants.
In response to a chef shortage exacerbated by Brexit, hospitality organisation Mitchells & Butlers created an industry-leading Chefs Academy, offering level 2 and 3 apprenticeships. The programme significantly boosted retention rates in the business.
L-R Black and White Hospitality’s Brandie Deignan, managing director – Jennie Mackenzie, head of training – Chairman and CEO Nick TaplinCommenting on this year’s recipients and ceremony Chris Jones, Chief Executive of the City and Guilds Group, said: “The Princess Royal Training Awards are a highlight of the year, as we come together to celebrate the outstanding work of businesses around the country who put learning and development firmly at the top of their agenda. The remarkable employers we recognised last night demonstrate the power that comes from investing in people and training as a vehicle to strengthen organisations and open up opportunities for people.
“We hope that business leaders everywhere will be inspired by the efforts of this year’s PRTA recipients and go the extra mile to ensure their workforce is fit for the future.”
Previous winners have seen significant benefits after being awarded a Princess Royal Training Award.
H&C News would like to congratulate The Clink, Black and White Hospitality and Mitchells & Butlers on being recognised for the vital work they are doing to aid our fabulous industry.
