Thomson and First Choice owner Tui UK & Ireland has been commended for its commitment to training and skills development by the Princess Royal.
The UK’s largest travel group was one of 34 organisations – including rival Thomas Cook – honoured with a Princess Royal training award for creating lasting impact by successfully linking its skills development needs to business performance.
The winners, including car manufacturers, healthcare organisations and charities, all demonstrated that training can make a significant impact on productivity and business success.
Judges were particularly impressed by how Tui as a global tour operator has embedded its apprenticeship programme to provide future talent for the business.
The Princess Royal training awards were delivered for the first time this year by the City & Guilds Group. Each of the 110 applications was assessed against three hallmarks of excellence and the Princess Royal Training Awards Commission, which comprised the Princess Royal and ten leading figures in the business and learning and development community.
Speaking after at a ceremony at St James’s Palace in London yesterday, Tui UK & Ireland HR director Caroline Kitcher said: “I am delighted that our dedication to training and development has been recognised in this way.
“We are committed to giving everyone in our organisation the chance to learn and grow in their roles.
“We understand that this is not only good for them but it is vital to the success of our business, this is why we have committed to offering 2,000 new apprenticeship opportunities by 2020.”
City & Guilds Group chief executive Chris Jones added: “All of the successful organisations deserve enormous praise.
“I hope these awards have shone a light on how important it is for businesses to invest in training to boost their productivity, address skills gaps and develop their leaders.
“This has never mattered more than in today’s uncertain economy. I hope this year’s winners inspire other organisations to share their experiences and put forward their training and development success stories.”