The Donkey Sanctuary’s training and development programme honoured by HRH The Princess Royal

International Animal Welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary is celebrating after being commended for its commitment to training and skills development by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal at a ceremony at St James’s Palace in London on Thursday afternoon.

The international Charity was one of 34 organisations honoured with a Princess Royal Training Award for creating lasting impact by successfully linking their skills development needs to business performance. The winners, including prestigious healthcare organisations, charities and car manufacturers all demonstrated that their training makes a significant impact on productivity and business success.

Steven James, Learning and Development Manager at The Donkey Sanctuary said: ‘I am delighted that our dedication to training and development has been recognised in this way. At The Donkey Sanctuary we not only place a premium on donkey welfare, but also on ensuring that our employees and managers have 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 the charity.’

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.’

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 HRH The Princess Royal and ten leading figures in the business and learning & development community.