East of England Co-op and pubs and brewing group Greene King have been named among the winners at a national awards ceremony recognising the best in learning and development.

The Co-op, based at Wherstead, near Ipswich, picked up the Learning and Development Team of the Year title at the TJ Awards, run by the Training Journal publication and held at The Brewery venue in London, and was also runner-up for Best Organisational Development Programme.

Bury St Edmunds-based Greene King meanwhile collected the Best Apprenticeship Programme award.

The judges said the East of England Co-op’s team was making a big difference to the organisation, by “creating a culture of learning and engagement”. They added: “The team demonstrates clear examples of creativity and innovation within a minimal budget along with inspirational energy and passion for learning and development.”

Stephen Flurrie, head of learning and development at the East of England Co-op, said: “The team are absolutely over the moon to have won this award.

“Our aim is to reach colleagues with learning that helps them perform better in their jobs, understand the co-op difference and live our co-op values; they do this every single day with creativity, passion and expertise.

“We can’t wait to build on this great success with some innovative and exciting new projects coming up in the next 12 months.”

Of Greene King, the judges said the company was using apprenticeships, and the new Apprenticeship Levy, to tackle specific workforce challenges.

“There is strong buy-in at all levels and they are delivering at scale nationwide with a diverse range of businesses through strong consistent communications,” they added.

Rooney Anand, chief executive of Greene King, said: “It’s fantastic to be recognised and celebrated for our apprenticeship programme.

“We passionately believe in apprenticeships and the role they play within our business and the wider industry. We’re proud to represent the pub industry through being recognised by Training Journal Awards this year.”