Why Corndel took home our Training Provider of the Year Award

It has never been more important to offer managers and leaders targeted training. In the UK's fast-moving economic landscape, it’s essential for driving organisational resilience, boosting sluggish productivity and navigating complex shifts like AI integration and hybrid workplaces. It also equips managers with the emotional intelligence and strategic agility needed to improve employee retention and engagement during such tumultuous times.

As part of the CMI Awards of Excellence, our Training Provider of the Year Award celebrates our partner institutions that offer the highly customisable, continuous and practical learning frameworks that organisations need to close skills gaps and sustain long-term growth. 

This year, for the second time in a row, the award was won by Corndel. 

Expanding minds

Corndel’s vision is to expand minds and shape a future where people and technology work together. Its cutting-edge programmes cover AI, data and leadership, combining technical and human skills to unlock people’s potential for both immediate impact and lasting change. 

The centre delivers leadership and management training to more than 150 of the UK’s largest organisations, including the NHS, Credit Suisse, Asda and the NSPCC. As the only large apprenticeship provider rated ‘excellent’ by both businesses and individuals, it aims to cultivate leadership and management best practice, improve talent retention, bridge digital skills gaps, build diverse and inclusive teams and develop organisational agility. 

It’s clearly doing that very well. Our judges praised Corndel’s “incredibly strong” entry and its impressive scale in supporting over 18,000 professionals toward Chartered Manager status. They also highlighted the “innovative and fresh thinking” shown in its introduction of AI and data-driven modules, as well as high-level academic partnerships that have led to learner promotion rates 4.5 times higher than the national average.

“We’re incredibly proud to be named CMI’s Training Provider of the Year 2025,” the team reflected. “Thank you to CMI for recognising the impact of our coaching‑first approach and to our learners, partners and teams who make this work so meaningful.”