City & Guilds Group has today announced that 46 businesses will be recognised by the 2021 Princess Royal Training Awards. 13 of the programmes being recognised are from London based organisations.

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.

Large employers across London such as BAE Systems, Coutts & Co., and Bouygues Energies and Services Solutions, through to smaller organisations such as Mini Me Yoga and Thames Skills Academy, are among those to have received this year’s awards. Medical Defence Union has received two awards for two different workplace programmes.

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 WenLin Chinese School, based in South-West London, created a training programme to deliver effective teaching virtually. 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. As the world moved to doing things virtually, teacher training was provided to share new ways of delivering lessons successfully online. Teachers now feel supported and empowered to discuss new methods of learning, and student numbers have increased significantly in 2021.

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. BAE Systems works in a complex manufacturing environment with scarce STEM skills and ageing workforce challenges. Underpinned by a clear strategy, BAE has used its Apprenticeship initiative not only to protect itself against large scale retirements but also to take the opportunity to grow into new markets where skills do not currently exist in the marketplace.

This year, newly created Covid Commendations have been awarded to five organisations that have used training particularly effectively to respond to the organisational challenges caused by the pandemic. Those highly commended in the new Covid-19 response category include previous London-based award recipients, Balfour Beatty and Resurgo Trust.

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Group said: “Despite the challenges for organisations caused by Covid-19, it’s fantastic to see the commitment to training and development from so many organisations across London. The applications have been truly inspiring, and we are really looking forward to bringing these organisations together and celebrating at our annual ceremony later this year.”

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. All of which will be paramount to helping businesses to recover post-pandemic, close sector skills gaps and promote a culture of skills development.

The full list of London recipients includes: BAE Systems, Bouygues Energies and Services Solutions, Coutts & Co, Exponential-e, MDU, Mini Me Yoga, Portico, PwC, Sparta Global, Thames Skills Academy and WenLin Chinese School.