Educ8 Training, one of Wales’ leading education and training providers, was visited by Princess Anne in recognition of achieving the Princess Royal Training Award.

Staff and learners welcomed the Princess Royal to its offices in Caerphilly, where she had a tour of the facilities and learnt the history of the company from CEO Grant Santos.

The Princess Royal then met staff and learners from across the company who were taking part in practical learning sessions. She was shown how Virtual Reality technology is being used to enhance the health and social care of patients with dementia.

Colin Tucker, chairman of Educ8 Training Group, said: “It was an honour to welcome the Princess Royal to Educ8 Training and demonstrate the quality educational and growth opportunities we are providing to employers and learners.

“We are proud to have our internal workforce development programme recognised. Our incredible colleagues who have gone through the programme, have been recognised for excellence in the Princess Royal Training Awards.”

The bespoke workforce development programme supports the transition of staff from assessors to the role of trainer coach. The role focusses on teaching and learning, blended with more traditional assessment methods.

Ann Nicholas, customer account director at Educ8 Training, said: “We are delighted to have been recognised alongside the other impressive businesses. Through our programme we have used training as a way of addressing skills gaps in the sector.”

The royal award and visit marks significant achievements for Educ8 Training. In the last 18 months, it has celebrated expansion into England, becoming the best company to work for in the UK and transitioning to employee ownership.

Since Educ8 was founded in 2004 to address skills shortages in Wales, it has become a key provider of apprenticeships and vocational learning. It works with employers of all sizes, from micro-organisations, through to SME’s and global multi-national corporations.

The visit concluded with the presentation of a memorial bench in remembrance of valued Educ8 employees Ceri Ann Tracey and Amanda Dennis.