Royal Navy bags top national award for the 'first-class' training it offers to sailors

The navy was one of 47 industries, institutions and global leaders singled out by The Princess Royal Training Awards.

The accolades, now in their seventh year, are run by training and educational organisation City and Guilds, whose president is Princess Anne – who has been a long-time supporter of the navy.

The awards recognise employers with outstanding training and skills development programmes which have a significant positive impact on their business or their staff.

Roughly half the firms and organisations nominated passed the benchmark set by City and Guilds.

In making their awards, assessors looked closely at various themes and factors including inclusion and diversity, quality apprenticeships, and schemes designed to open up new talent pools and address critical skills gaps.

While recognising the overall standards, professional and care provided in training across the Senior Service, there was particular interest in the navy’s comprehensive apprentice programme.

Commander Sara Balls, head of apprenticeships, said the high-level recognition rewarded ‘hard work across the training management group and by the apprentices themselves’.

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‘Our accreditation offer and the support we provide all Service personnel is exceptional – this award is testament to that,’ she said.

‘We were able to highlight the work to improve support for neurodivergent personnel, ensuring they have support mechanisms in place for a successful career in the Royal Navy.

‘The 300 per cent increase in virtual outreach events which allowed us to reach potential recruits from a variety of backgrounds, current apprentices were at the forefront epitomising “you cannot be what you cannot see”.”

Among other successful nominees are hospitality chains Caffe Nero and Greene King, insurance firm Legal and General, global business giant IBM and Santander bank.

‘This year’s recipients have shown the range and depth of learning and development that is taking place in their organisations to shape growth and positivity, from the power of skills development to address issues such as improving diversity and inclusion, through to programmes to address the ongoing impact of climate change,’ said Kirstie Donnelly, City & Guilds’ chief executive.

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