PGL Beyond

Last week the Princess of Wales spoke about how tech is causing a disconnection in today's youth. Our Head of Impact and Breakthrough Learning, Dr John Allan has written an open letter in response. https://lnkd.in/eqKJhGtn

We are delighted to announce that Michelle Midwinter who is based at our Alton Court support centre as an IT apprentice has just been announced as the West Midlands Regional Winner of the National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2025. Michelle will now attend the National Final in London in November, along with the other regional winners, where she will have a chance at being named the national winner. Michelle said: “I am beyond thrilled to have won the regional finals and am hoping to secure a win at national level to show that apprenticeships are not just for young people! I am passionate about promoting apprenticeships to people like me - to career changers, and especially to mothers returning to work.” Michelle joined the IT team in March 2024 and has been working on her apprenticeship gaining real life experience as well as university lecturers and is a huge asset to the organisation. We are extremely proud of her achievement and how well deserved it is. At PGL Beyond we firmly believe in lifelong learning, providing real purpose to careers. Michelle is one of a number of colleagues undertaking apprenticeships across all areas of the business and seeing how enriching it is to both them and the organisation. From L-R: Tino Mumvari, Regional Chair for West Midlands Ambassador; Michelle Midwinter of PGL Beyond; and Chanise Evans, Event host, Digital Journalist at the BBC and former apprentice.

We know how ‘souper’ our colleagues are when it comes to supporting their local communities, and at our Discovery House support centre, colleagues from NST Travel Group, European Study Tours and StudyLinkTours have been busy once again supporting the Blackpool Food Bank. As summer turns to Autumn, the team did a soup collection, and managed to donate 176 tins which will be going to local families. As the food bank says itself ‘thanks again for going above and beyond on this collection. #goingbeyond #purpose #community

Delighted to have been able to welcome Gregory Stafford to our PGL Travel Marchants Hill centre and understand how purpose is at the heart of everything we do and sharing more detail of the way we provide experiences for young people giving them vital life skills to take through education into employment.

A couple of years ago, we introduced the Reachout Volunteering policy, which gives our colleagues an annual allowance of paid time to volunteer for a charity or community project of their choice - many of which are in the great outdoors! With Autumn drawing in, we checked in with our UK-based colleagues to see how they had taken advantage of Reachout this summer to flex their green fingers in local school and community gardens. https://lnkd.in/eRU6zBf5

Last month, the leadership team at PGL Adventure Camps Camp Rumbug spent the day at the HQ of their nominated charity, Backpacks 4 VIC Kids. Using the PGL Beyond Reachout scheme, the team delivered donations, lent a helping hand, and learnt more about the vital work this organisation is doing for displaced young people in and around Victoria, Australia. https://lnkd.in/eaTBYizJ

"If we want to prevent disengagement, we must rebalance education. That means treating resilience and relationship-building not as one-off interventions, but as ongoing priorities throughout secondary as well as primary school." READ THE FULL ARTICLE: Dr John Allan discusses the trouble with #transition, and the pivotal role of learning outside the classroom: https://lnkd.in/e99rsx4M

A huge thanks to Nick and the team at Bendrigg Trust for hosting Anthony Jones, Sharon Parkin (FCIPD) and Paul Kenwright. Outdoor learning is vital for every young person to experience, and ensuring it is accessible to all is very much a shared value.

We are incredibly proud to be a founding member of RISE - a lobbying group focused on reducing the impact of the outdoor sector on the environment. “As sector leaders, it is within our power to influence change, and moreover it is our responsibility to help build an industry that is compatible with future society’s needs, and that’s what we intend to do through the lobbying work at RISE.” - Bob Timms, Head of Activities at PGL Beyond and Co-Founder of RISE. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ew9vrZkU ROTOMOD SAS Lettmann GmbH PGL Travel Pyranha Mouldings Ltd. Swiss River Adventures GmbH Trekking Hellas Group of Companies EC-OEThe Paddle Sports Showw

Our Shropshire-based PGL Travel residential activity centre, Boreatton Park, was delighted to host local MP Helen Morgan last week.   The team welcomed Helen for a tour of the centre and an opportunity to see first-hand the positive impact that outdoor adventure can have on youth personal development.   It is fantastic to see local government championing learning outside the classroom and showing support for these life-enhancing, opportunity-expanding experiences for young people.