Achieve royal recognition for training staff in the hospitality sector

The Princess Royal Training Award can help hospitality gain recognition for staff learning and development

Investment in staff learning and development (L&D) provides huge gains for both employees and organisations. Upskilling employees not only ensures that organisations remain competitive and fit for the future, but also boosts motivation, confidence, well-being and employee satisfaction. This, in turn, leads to enhanced engagement, productivity, innovation and retention, delivering substantial financial benefits and organisational growth.

Better still, gaining external recognition for this commitment to L&D can help organisations develop a USP in a competitive marketplace. Achieving an award, like a prestigious Princess Royal Training Award, is a great way to do this.

The Princess Royal Training Awards celebrate excellence

The Princess Royal Training Awards not only appreciate the importance of skills development but actively promote it through royal recognition and celebration of employers dedicated to providing outstanding training.

These Awards offer something a little different from other award programmes. Not only are they free from start to finish and valid for three years, but successful recipients get royal recognition for their achievements, attendance at a high-profile award ceremony and membership of an active 600+ Alumni network. What’s more, as the Awards are a standard of excellence, organisations don’t have to compete against one another, they simply need to show that they meet the Awards criteria.

Applicants also receive unrivalled support from the Princess Royal Training Awards team at every step of the application journey, making the process straightforward and accessible for everyone. Applicants can join friendly support workshops and ‘tea and chat’ sessions, connect with the team through webchat and even get feedback from Assessors on a draft application!

An award that makes a difference

Previous award recipients have reported clear positive impacts on their organisations, with increased investment in training programmes, improved recruitment and retention, and incorporation of HR and L&D into organisational strategy.

In a recent survey with award recipients on the impact of achieving the award, 99% of respondents highlighted the increased confidence in their organisation’s approach to culture and training, 90% cited the positive impact on their organisation’s ability to demonstrate the role of L&D in their commitment to social value and 88% reported increased investment in L&D programmes. And the benefits don’t end there. As one recipient explained:

“It immediately attracted interest from overseas. We work with a lot of American clients and we export a lot of what we do around the world and people noticed it. It is a mark of excellence and I think people recognise that both in the UK and internationally” – 2022 Award recipient.

An inclusive award for inclusive organisations

The awards are open to any private, public or not-for-profit organisation operating in the UK and Ireland regardless of size or sector. Remarkably, the 2023 awards achieved the highest number of applications and recipients since the awards were established in 2016, demonstrating both increasing dedication to L&D and a growing awareness of the royal stamp of approval that these awards provide.

The awards also offer an additional commendation to awardees who demonstrate notable commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, underlining the importance of more diverse and inclusive workforces and their positive impact on business. Research has shown, for instance, that more ethnically diverse organisations financially outperform less diverse organisations by 36% and more gender-diverse organisations outperform non-diverse organisations by 25%*!

Achieving excellence in hospitality

Over the years, organisations large and small from the hospitality sector have applied for and achieved the award and 2023 was no exception. Convenience food manufacturer Greencore Group received an award for their training programme designed to support new starters. With a focus on transcending language and cultural barriers, the training has been completed by 382 employees leading to an increase in promotions and cost-savings as well as reduced attrition rates.

Similarly, the Oakman Group set out to address a retention challenge with new employees through their ‘training ninja’ programme. They have witnessed a rise in employee retention, an increased spend per customer and higher guest opinion ratings.

Pret a Manger also received an award for the launch of their Pret Academy designed to develop existing employees and provide clear career pathways. They have witnessed outcomes including increased safety scores, greater staff retention and sales exceeding targets. For Daksha Stancilas, Talent & Development Partner:

“The award recognises the L&D achievements and sets Pret apart from our competitors – so becomes an ‘asset’ to build on for our future growth plans. The award builds confidence in our teams, knowing that the training has been given such an honourable award.”

Family run hotels chain, Red Carnation Hotels UK Ltd, achieved an award in 2017, which was revalidated in 2020 and again in 2023 for a graduate management programme which has seen a further 53 participants trained in the past three years. All participants from the 2020/21 cohort have been promoted and some former participants are now in senior management roles in flagship hotels. Liz McGivern, vice president of people & culture stated that:

“Though this is now the third time we have been awarded, this time it meant the most to us, as our Programme has significantly evolved over the past few years... It meant the world to us that we were noticed for this positive response to the post-pandemic world, confirming the additional hard work was worth it!”

The 2023 recipients join the many hospitality sector organisations recognised by the awards, including Black and White Hospitality, Caffe Nero, Dorchester Collection, Elior, Mitchells and Butlers and the Master Innholders.

Apply for the 2024 awards

If you want to showcase your training, get external recognition for your hard work and join an outstanding alumni network of organisations committed to investing in learning and development, why not apply for a Princess Royal Training Award today? Apply now and you’ll be sent a unique link for your application form, which you can fill in and submit online. The awards are open until 28 March 2024.

If you have any questions, just get in touch with the Princess Royal Training Awards team at: info@princessroyaltrainingawards.com

*McKinsey and Company (2020) Diversity wins: How inclusion matters.