The Red Carnation Hotel Collection has received royal recognition for its commitment to training and skills development at a glittering reception in St James's Palace yesterday. Princess Anne presented Victoria Tollman, Executive Director of Red Carnation Hotels, with a Princess Royal Training Award 2017 for 'Establishing talent pipeline', recognising the success of the collection's Graduate Management Programme.
Hundreds of companies applied for a Princess Royal Training Award from a huge cross section of industries in the UK, and were assessed against three Hallmarks of Excellence by the Princess Royal Training Awards Commission, which comprised of HRH The Princess Royal and seven leading figures in the business and training community.
Red Carnation Hotels was one of 40 UK businesses to achieve the prestigious standard in 2017, and the only hotel collection to be recognised. Major UK businesses including RBS, Barclays, and Waitrose, as well as Bluestone National Park Resort in the hospitality industry, were also recognised for successfully linking skills development needs to business performance.
Red Carnation Hotels' Management Programme (MP), which has evolved immensely over the past seven years, allows bright young professionals to immerse themselves in the hotel industry and ultimately take on junior management roles within the company. Over the course of two and a half years, MPs experience all aspects of hotel management, from housekeeping, to finance, front of house and reservations, and eventually select a department that suits them best and take on a management role.
Jonathan Raggett, Managing Director of Red Carnation Hotel Collection, said: “Every year, the calibre of applicants for our Management Programme has increased phenomenally, and this award truly recognises our training initiatives as industry leading. Our MPs learn valuable skills on the job every day, and develop into competent managers who fit our values and culture, and have a thorough understanding of our hotels and management principles. We believe it's our service proposition that sets us apart, and recruiting the right talent and nurturing their development is essential to achieving success in our business.”
Liz McGivern, Vice President Human Resources of Red Carnation Hotel Collection, said: “We're honoured and delighted to be recognised as a Princess Royal Training Award winner in 2017 amongst such well respected companies from a broad range of industries. The process for judging was rigorous, and we're so thrilled that our Management Programme has now been officially recognised as one of the best in our exciting and competitive industry. Thank you to everyone involved in implementing the programme, and to our past and present MPs who are truly our best ambassadors.”
