The judges of this highly contested category looked for learning and developmental interventions that had significantly benefited an organisation, especially new approaches. Each of the organisations shortlisted demonstrates how training has helped boost motivation and focus staff on important organisational goals.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca invested PS280m into its advanced manufacturing facility in order to meet the growing demand for medicines and to ensure compliance with regulations. This highly regulated environment requires extensive training for the 800+ employees who work there. The strict hygiene standards required in manufacturing require complex training. AstraZeneca has developed a learning and development program, which includes a modern Learning Academy, to improve and sustain the learning process. This academy uses innovative technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality, to train staff within a simulated setting.
Induction training used to be long, inconsistent and disruptive of production. This new programme has simplified the process by reducing training time and improving consistency and effectiveness. Employees now complete a six month induction programme, which includes virtual reality simulations and assessments, as well as ongoing learning via an app. This method has increased engagement and improved learner competency by 22%. It also reduced the time to achieve competence for some tasks from two weeks to only two.
AstraZeneca’s Learning Academy has been hailed for its success. It is used to train, upskill, and develop staff across multiple sites. It is now a model for providing effective training with minimal disruption to production. In 2024, the company saw a reduction of 17% in deviations. This shows that the program has been successful in improving quality and regulatory compliance.
Biffa
Biffa is one of the leading players in the UK waste management industry, employing over 11,000 employees. Biffa’s goal is to create a diverse and inclusive workforce as the waste management industry evolves, with new technologies and an increased focus on sustainability. Biffa’s people strategy is designed to help employees feel supported and welcomed, while the company’s business model focuses on four main areas: Reduce, Recycle, Recovery, and Collect.
Biffa determined that the inconsistent experiences of employees were caused by varying levels in line manager skill. Many managers who were promoted more for their management skills than their expertise, and often promoted based on that, did not have clear expectations. Biffa’s LEAD programme (Lead Engage and develop) was launched in February 2023 to address this issue. This training program, endorsed and approved by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, helps managers develop skills to manage people, policies and behaviors.
LEAD is delivered through seven online sessions. It aims to build resilient teams and provide a consistent experience for employees. So far, 78% have participated in the program, and 80% recommend it. The managers are more confident about handling policies and supporting teams. This reduces the need for HR involvement. There have been positive improvements in the areas of employee safety, health, and wellbeing. LEAD helps Biffa reach its goal of having a more effective and engaged workforce.
Bright Horizons
Bright Horizons identified in 2022 a leadership gap, which was addressed by a four-year strategy plan. Although nursery staff were highly qualified and experienced, they did not possess the formal leadership skills required for positions such as team management, strategic thinking and conflict resolution. Bright Horizons developed three new programmes to bridge the gap. Each programme was tailored for specific roles in the organisation.
Launched in 2022, the Future Leaders Programme targeted employees in roles such as Room Leaders and Third-in Charge, to help them improve their coaching, management and leadership skills. The Deputy Management Programme was introduced to help deputies gain confidence and refine their leadership skills. The Leadership Talent Programme focuses on identifying and developing employees with high potential for leadership.
These programmes have produced impressive results, including an 83 percent participation rate in the Future Leaders Programme as well as a 75 percent reduction in vacant manager positions. Bright Horizons has seen a 10% drop in staff turnover, while employee engagement is up. Over 80% of employees rate Bright Horizons a great place to work.
The organisation was also recognized for its commitment to development with awards. These included a spot on the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development List and the Culture Pioneer Award for 2022. This award confirmed the organization’s focus on nurturing talent while maintaining high-quality child care.
Grant Thornton UK
Grant Thornton UK LLP, an accountancy company with 26 offices and 5,500 staff, provides services such as auditing, corporate finance and tax. The firm supports 300-400 school leavers and graduates in obtaining professional qualification each year. The firm’s diverse workforce consists of 48% Asian, Black or mixed race people, and 4% LGBTQIA+. Both men and women are equally represented.
Grant Thornton is committed to retaining talent, particularly graduates. Attrition is currently 17.9%. The firm wants to promote diversity and retain talent by increasing the number of women and minorities in leadership positions by 39% each by 2025. The wellbeing of employees is important as they often have to deal with a heavy workload.
Grant Thornton has developed a coaching programme accredited by EMCC to meet these goals. This internal initiative is available to all employees and equips them with coaching skills in order to support diversity and career advancement. Since its launch, 265 employees have been coached by 2022 and 2023. The programme is more cost-effective than hiring external coaches, and saves the firm up to 50%.
Results show that coaching increases retention, performance, and promotion. Coaching results in a 12.8% lower attrition and a 57% higher chance of promotion for employees who have been coached. Diverse talent is the most likely to benefit.
Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society launched its 2023 strategy to transform into a “modern mutual”, which required cultural change. It identified the need for better people management capabilities to support this change. For 2,400 managers, the new People Manager Programme focused on six key competencies: setting direction and time planning, knowing your employees, enabling their performance, leading teams and assessing risks. The programme offers digital learning in conjunction with workshops in person to achieve consistency in the management of people.
The program begins with a 360-degree feedback questionnaire and a virtual launch session. The blended learning is then undertaken by managers with the support of department champions, their manager and leadership facilitators. The programme was successful due to the strong engagement of stakeholders, including union and diversity specialists. The cohorts consist of 20 managers with different experience levels and roles. They work together to benefit from peer learning.
Early results show positive outcomes. 97% of participants report feeling better equipped to perform their jobs, 95% say they have put their learning into practice, and 97% gained from the peer interaction. The feedback highlights the program’s value and managers show an increase of 10% in their engagement scores. Nationwide, recognizing the success of the programme, is now seeking assurance status from the Institute for Leadership and Management and intends to expand participation.
NatWest Group
NatWest Group wanted to transform its performance management system. It created a workplace that was focused on high-performance through meaningful coaching conversations. It wanted to get away from the traditional rating-based system, and instead drive performance by its values. In order to achieve this, the company worked with its employees and external experts in co-creating a new approach called Beyond. The programme was designed to empower and inspire employees rather than managing their performance via administrative processes.
HR didn’t want to introduce a new program into the bank. HR needed to hear from people about what they thought should be changed, starting with the executive team and going down to branch colleagues, in order to create a better strategy.
NatWest conducted research with 6,000 employees and found that the legacy software consumed more than a million man-hours per year without improving performance. Beyond has four chapters that focus on different aspects, and place a lot of emphasis on receiving and giving feedback. The programme uses a variety of learning methods to motivate employees and develop their skills, such as digital modules, workshops and live events with Team GB athletes.
The results were positive. 96% of employees completed the digital learning modules, and there was a high level of engagement during workshops. The new approach reduced time spent on performance evaluation from 660,000 to 13,000 hours per year. The programme also has improved key performance indicators such as goal setting experiences and feedback processes.
NHS England partners with escalla
In the NHS, verbal and physical abuse was increasing towards staff in roles that were in contact with patients. The challenging environment had a negative impact on the employees’ well-being, and highlighted the need for training that would equip them with the skills they needed to deal with difficult situations whilst safeguarding their mental wellbeing. Escalla has been selected by NHS England as a co-designer of a training program called Compassionate conversations. This initiative was designed to give NHS staff from primary and secondary care practical skills for handling difficult conversations with empathy.
The pilot phase of the programme received positive feedback. 95.1% participants were satisfied, and 93.1% would recommend it. The programme was expanded after its success and trained over 5,000 more staff. This phase included tailored content for various NHS departments, and a greater focus on workplace wellbeing. Participants reported an increase of 26.6% in confidence, and a rise of 24.8% in their ability to manage challenging situations.
The final phase saw 1,700 additional staff trained to maintain high satisfaction levels. To ensure accessibility and long-term support, the programme introduced new components, including Train-the Trainer sessions and eLearning Modules. The Train-the Trainer component enabled NHS staff to provide the training locally and extend the reach of the programme. The programme has been successful in improving the confidence, competence and well-being of staff, resulting in a supportive working environment.
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK
SUEZ carried out more than 190 reviews in 2022. These revealed the need to improve waste elimination practices. The firm had a critical gap when it came to applying lean principles. In particular, the Waste Elimination Brick was the least used tool in SUEZ UK operations. This led to the appointment of a Business Transformation Director. The decision was taken to improve operational efficiency and resilience. SUEZ focused its efforts on empowering employees by increasing their access to lean concepts during uncertain times. The Learning and Development team supported this transformation by providing training in areas such as lean leadership, IT systems and empowering teams to identify inefficiencies.
The company launched the Terrible Timwoods Learning Activity in 2023 and a digital package of learning. The interactive board game helped employees to understand waste identification and resolution. Meanwhile, the digital solution provided flexible, continual learning. SUEZ, following positive results, expanded the workshop to its core training. This promoted reflection and strategic thought. The initiatives led to improved productivity and waste minimization, with over 1,600 employees being trained.
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SUEZ has seen significant savings in the form of reduced downtime, increased recycling rates and decreased costs. The TIMWOODS was also adapted to global use in order to ensure a culture for continuous improvement throughout SUEZ’s global operations. SUEZ has combined experiential learning with digital tools to improve employee knowledge and confidence.
