Educ8 Training, one of Wales’ leading education and training providers, has celebrated its recognition in the 2021 Royal Training Awards with HRH Princess Anne.
The Caerphilly-based company, which recently announced an Employee Ownership Trust scheme whereby its staff became majority owners of the business, joined The Princess Royal to celebrate receiving the award recognising the business’ commitment to training and development.
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 and measurable impact.
Educ8 Training is one of the top work-based learning providers in Wales, contracted by Welsh Government to deliver high-quality apprenticeships, ensuring people reach their full potential to boost jobs and enterprise in Wales.
Customer Account Director at Educ8 Ann Nicholas and Educ8 Recruiter Amy Evans attended the ceremony at Mansion House, London to receive the award.
Commenting on the award, Ann Nicholas said:
“It was great to have our internal workforce development programme recognised and our incredible colleagues who have gone through the programme recognised for excellence. The Princess Royal Training Award celebrates our commitment to investing in our people”.
The 48 organisations receiving the 2021 award 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.
Several of this year’s Princess Royal Training Awards recipients have innovatively used training as a way of addressing skills gaps in their sector.
Educ8 Training was founded on these values, in response to skills shortages in the South Wales area and runs with an ethos driven by the values of honesty, integrity, respect and positivity.
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.
Educ8 Training has already achieved significant growth in 2022, expanding geographically into England, increasing its team to over 200 staff, and making two acquisitions, diversifying its range of sector training by adding to its offering of programmes across leadership and management, digital marketing and childcare, to hair, beauty and health and social care.