Educ8 Training, one of Wales’ leading education and training providers, has celebrated its recognition in the 2021 Royal Training Awards with HRH Princess Anne.

The Caerphilly-based company, which recently announced an Employee Ownership Trust scheme whereby its staff became majority owners of the business, joined The Princess Royal to celebrate receiving the award recognising the business’ commitment to training and development.

Currently in its sixth year, The Princess Royal Training Awards recognise and celebrate organisations across the United Kingdom which have demonstrated exceptional commitment to training and development. Despite facing unprecedented challenges due to Covid-19, the organisations receiving this standard of excellence have created and delivered highly engaging training programmes which have resulted in significant and measurable impact.

Educ8 Training is one of the top work-based learning providers in Wales, contracted by Welsh Government to deliver high-quality apprenticeships, ensuring people reach their full potential to boost jobs and enterprise in Wales.

Customer Account Director at Educ8 Ann Nicholas and Educ8 Recruiter Amy Evans attended the ceremony at Mansion House, London to receive the award.

Commenting on the award, Ann Nicholas said: “It was great to have our internal workforce development programme recognised and our incredible colleagues who have gone through the programme recognised for excellence. The Princess Royal Training Award celebrates our commitment to investing in our people”.

The 48 organisations receiving the 2021 award differ in size and include a diverse range of sectors. Large national employers such as Barclays, HMRC and Sky UK through to smaller organisations such as local radio station Diverse FM and children’s charity The Mulberry Bush, are among those to have received this year’s awards.

Several of this year’s Princess Royal Training Awards recipients have innovatively used training as a way of addressing skills gaps in their sector.

Educ8 Training was founded on these values, in response to skills shortages in the South Wales area and runs with an ethos driven by the values of honesty, integrity, respect and positivity.

Previous recipients of a Princess Royal Training Award have reported clear positive impacts on their business, with 82% saying it has improved recruitment and retention and 62% reporting increased investments into training programmes. This will be paramount when it comes to helping businesses recover post-Covid, closing sector skills gaps and promoting a culture of skills development.

Educ8 Training has already achieved significant growth in 2022, expanding geographically into England, increasing its team to over 200 staff, and making two acquisitions, diversifying its range of sector training by adding to its offering of programmes across leadership and management, digital marketing and childcare, to hair, beauty and health and social care.

To find out more about Educ8 Training, visit www.educ8training.co.uk.

Handy Brand, a South West-based printing company with an exceptional reputation for high quality products and customer service, has announced the completion of an Employee Ownership Trust scheme that will see its employees own a majority share of the business, in a deal advised on by the GS Verde Group.

The deal comes as Handy Brand has seen outstanding growth, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, increasing its order volume by 40% between 2020 and 2021, proudly supplying hand sanitiser labels to businesses who wished to keep their customers safe, and donating labels to the NHS, supporting key workers.

Staff will now share a 51% stake in the business, providing them with day-to-day benefits and financial incentives, with Handy Brand seeing the value of its employees, their individual talents and what they achieve collectively. A trust scheme like this is not common with such a small team, giving the employees at Handy Brand a tremendous opportunity to share in its success.

Owner of Handy Brand, Martyn Kilford, explained: “Being a small, close-knit team gives us a big advantage over our competitors. Each team member is an integral cog in the Handy Brand machine.

“We’re all very passionate about achieving the best within our job roles day in and day out. We strive to offer the best advice to all our customers regardless of the size of their order to ensure they receive a quality printed product.”

Since its birth in 2007, Handy Labels, the sticky label part of Handy Brand, has printed custom labels for over 63,000 loyal returning customers. Its sister company Handy Tags produces retail swing tags, bottleneck tags and door hangers. Since it was founded in 2011, when Martyn spotted a gap in the market, Handy Tags has had an unrivalled customer retention rate, serving both small artisan industry customers and international brands alike with its market-leading range of products.

Handy Labels and Handy Tags offer small minimum order quantities, excellent print quality, all at competitive prices, and fast turnaround times. This allows them to facilitate orders for small businesses and startups and larger orders for some of the most prominent producers in their respective industries.

The move to a more employee-central structure is positive for the company as a whole. Team members are encouraged to be involved in the company’s growth and strive for brand consistency, brand development and brand loyalty.

Martyn continued: “Without our excellent team members and loyal customers, Handy Brand’s success would be nowhere near what it is today. That’s why I decided to set up the Employee Ownership Trust scheme, to show my huge appreciation for their unwavering professionalism and empower their future development for many years to come.”

The EOT structure also allows Handy Brand to appoint a board of trustees, with staff deciding if they want to join the board. This opportunity allows staff members to collectively make decisions on the daily running of the business and how they should allocate funds.

As Handy Brand moves into this new exciting chapter, it looks to keep its employee-centric setup, allowing its staff to share in the company’s successes.

Dealmaking experts the GS Verde Group advised and supported throughout the transaction.

Welsh Independent HR Consultancy JG HR Solutions, founded and led by Julie Grabham, has been named Consultancy of the Year at the British HR Awards.

With over 20 years of HR experience, Julie’s passion for fairness in the workplace led her to set up her own HR consultancy in 2015. The business has gone from strength to strength, with a 300% growth of clients and over 800% growth in revenue since year one.

In recent years, Julie has taken remote working to the next level by moving her business to her garden shed to ensure she was readily available to support clients with sensitive workplace matters during the pandemic.

Not afraid to be different and make a difference, Julie began filming videos, now known as #HRFromMyShed, delivering HR advice while surrounded by her pots and garden tools.

Julie’s clients have been delighted, with the more informal and relatable setting of #HRFromMyShed putting them further at ease when discussing important workplace matters, such as Workplace Covid-19 Restrictions, Furlough Schemes, and Mental Health Awareness.

Speaking on her award win, Julie said: “I’m delighted to have won Consultancy of the Year, and also to have words of support from so many people.

“My clients said they always knew they had the best HR support, so now Britain knows it too!”

The British HR Awards sets out to discover and celebrate the organisations and individuals that are truly passionate about delivering a world-class people experience. With hundreds of entries received from organisations across the UK, competition to take home a British HR Award proved to be very tough.

Julie’s passion for helping clients to drive change in their organisation shone through, as she supports employees with tailored policies that make a positive impact – including disability policies and those that support employees with menopause and IVF treatment.

By responding rapidly to the need for progressive HR solutions, Julie has become a leading voice on the unprecedented HR complications posed by the pandemic, helping clients navigate the ever-changing restrictions and their effects.

Determined to continue her own personal development, Julie remains committed to upskilling herself in employment law, best practise, and current HR trends to best understand her clients’ needs.

Julie concluded: “Winning this award is a real boost for JG HR Solutions, and a mark of confidence in my #HRFromMyShed approach. I look forward to continuing to share HR updates in this way and connecting with even more people on workplace matters.”

Multidiscipline M&A advisors GS Verde Group have announced the certification of the business’ carbon-neutral status, with a comprehensive plan to achieve the UN Gold Standard certification.

The lifelong pledge will see the business implement sustainable commuting initiatives and an environmental sustainability subcommittee formed of nominated Green Champions. The GS Verde team will also work with the Welsh Wildlife Trust on projects designed to protect and rebuild the region’s biodiversity.

GS Verde Group Co-founder and COO, Rhian Osborne said: “Becoming a carbon neutral company is a crucial step for future planning and contributing to the tackling of the climate crisis. At GS Verde, we are proud to not only make significant changes within our own operations, but also collaborate and encourage change on a wider scale amongst those we work with.”

GS Verde has previously taken measures to improve its energy efficiency and environmental impact, ensuring its city centre offices are easily accessed via public transport.

The now paperless business has also worked to reduce automobile use, to improve air quality and traffic congestion. In support of this, staff are offered flexible working hours to avoid the morning and afternoon rush hour.

More widely, the UK is halfway to meeting its target of “net-zero” emissions by 2050 and while 2020 marked a milestone 11% reduction of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the levels are expected to rebound as Covid-19 restrictions ease.

Ms Osborne concluded: “Reducing carbon emissions requires focus, long term commitment and innovation. As a pioneering fast-growth organisation, GS Verde has a responsibility to demonstrate real change to contribute to this effort.”

An innovative partnership between Cardiff-based health and wellness provider The ION Group and Space2B at The Maltings, will see the launch of an onsite 300sq m ION class-based fitness facility at the historic location.

Founded by former Wales and Cardiff Blues Rugby player Robin Sowden-Taylor, The ION Group will deliver an exciting timetable of functional fitness circuit sessions, with a range of other health and wellness support packages also available to Space2B’s office members.

With an increased focus on businesses’ care of their teams’ health and wellness, Space2B have pledged to deliver unrivalled support for office members and co-working partners.

Sophie Mear, Office Manager at Space2B said: “We are fully committed to providing the very best service and environment for our office members, and what is more important than health and wellness?

“This partnership will compliment and greatly enhance our current offering of contemporary offices and co-working spaces in a thriving business ecosystem.”

Director and Founder of the ION Group, Robin Sowden-Taylor is no stranger to the health and fitness world, heading up Cardiff Blues’ strength and conditioning programme for 8 years after his retirement as a player.

Speaking on the new partnership he said: “The Space2B team are as committed to improving health and wellness in the corporate space as we are. We share the same philosophy around health and wellness for all.

“To partner with Space2B in launching the ION@Space2B facility, alongside other services, is a very exciting and innovative opportunity for us all.”