Aurora’s trainers earn Royal stamp of approval

We’re among 57 organisations to receive a Princess Royal Training Award, which recognises outstanding training and skills development programmes that make a positive impact on organisations, people as well as the wider society.

In 2020, Aurora’s Learning and Development team devised an in-house training programme to improve the skillset of our Teaching Assistants to give them more confidence.  

A result of this has been that since the programme was launched, more than 50 Teaching Assistants have completed the training, with 70% gaining promotion, whilst retention rates have risen from 34% to 74%.

Head of  Learning and Development Darren Goodenough said the initiative not only improved classroom support for our young people but had also generated a new talent pipeline of Teaching Assistants.

He said: “By helping our staff build their skills and advance their careers in education, our schools benefit, the young people we teach benefit and the teaching assistants themselves benefit.

“Feedback we’ve received from those taking part in the programme has been that they’ve felt more confident about performing additional tasks they wouldn’t have done before, including running supervised teaching sessions.

“We’re a growing organisation, and developing well-rounded, well-trained employees is essential to our growth strategy and, above all, to ensuring that we can provide excellent support to our children and young people.”

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Foundation, which runs the awards, said: “For the past 10 years, the Princess Royal Training Awards have stood as a beacon of excellence in learning and development. We remain committed to expanding the reach of the awards, engaging more organisations, and continuing to showcase best practice that drives success.

“This year’s recipients have presented innovative approaches to challenges within their organisations which are highly representative of wider challenges within UK business and society, tackling problems including skills gaps and attracting quality applicants.”