Bridging the business gap
Fourteen proud Lloyds Banking Group employees received their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award yesterday at St. James’s Palace from TV star Fern Britton
They spent 18 months developing their business skills, volunteering in their local community, getting fit and preparing for an expedition designed to test them to the limit.
It was a special day for all of the staff who collected their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards in the presence of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at the Gold Award Presentation (GAP) ceremony in London. TV star and DofE supporter Fern Britton presented the participants with their certificates.
Leading UK employer and DofE supporter Lloyds Banking Group launched a Gold DofE Business programme in 2006, offering young employees who haven’t yet done their Gold DofE the opportunity to benefit from the life changing programme.
The DofE Business model is designed to develop the personal and business skills of staff whilst enabling them to give something back to the local communities in which Lloyds operates.
The young people are aged between 20 and 24 years. To achieve their Gold Award they had to take part in two residentials. It works brilliantly to develop confidence and leadership skills in young employees.
During their residential the young people improved their team work, presentation and communication skills. They identified their own personal strengths and weaknesses.
They also undertook individual volunteering challenges with the aim of standing out from their colleagues. Some examples of their volunteering included coaching and a hospital research project.
For their Skills section they worked from a variety of business modules that included Leadership, Presentation Skills, IT, Communication and Project Management – this culminated into a one month project in the office environment that aimed to improve process or wastage efficiency.
All of the young people took part in a full expedition practice programme preparing them for a gruelling five day expedition across remote wild country.
From the pilot group doing their DofE 58% gained promotion.
Doing their DofE was part of a wider goal to get Lloyds staff to mix across departments and encourage confidence when dealing with colleagues.
Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award said: “We are delighted to celebrate the achievement of young people who have completed their Gold Award in the workplace. Their success really shows that the DofE is a natural partner for business which, like Lloyds Banking Group, recognises the importance of investing in the development of their younger employees."
Paul Baker, Group Property Director at Lloyds Banking Group said: “Lloyds Banking Group is very proud to partner with the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Scheme. The 18 month programme allows our participants to apply the development and learning back into the work place straight away. I am very pleased with the great commitment and drive our 14 Gold award holders have demonstrated throughout the programme."
Paul Bubloz, DofE Business participant at Lloyds Banking Group said: “The Programme has given me fantastic opportunities to develop and allowed me to learn a new set of skills that I can apply to day to day life. I strongly recommend the programme to anyone who has the chance to take part.”