Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK is honoured by HRH The Princess Royal for using training to boost business growth

Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK 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.

The Milton Keynes-based business 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 prestige car manufacturers, healthcare organisations and charities, all demonstrated that training can make a significant contribution to productivity and business success.

The judges were particularly impressed by Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ initiative to recruit a new sales force, to address a skills gap caused by the increasing age of its truck sales network. The company’s 26-week training programme – which includes teaching trainees to drive a truck – has doubled its number of female trainees and achieved a 78% retention rate since 2011.

Commenting on the award, Vincente Connolly, Director National Sales Mercedes-Benz and FUSO Trucks UK, said: “I am delighted that our dedication to training and development has been recognised in this way. At Mercedes-Benz Trucks we place a premium on ensuring that our employees have the chance to learn and grow in their roles. We understand that this is not only good for them, but is also vital to the success of the business.”

The Princess Royal Training Awards are new honours presented by the City & Guilds Group to employers in the UK who have created outstanding training and skills development, resulting in exceptional commercial benefit. Each of the 110 applications was assessed against three ‘Hallmark’ standards of excellence by the Princess Royal Training Awards Commission, which comprised HRH The Princess Royal and ten leading figures from the business and learning & development community. 

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.”

www.princessroyaltrainingawards.com