The King’s Award for Enterprise
ZIGUP has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise, recognised for excellence in Promoting Opportunity.
We are one of only 10 businesses in this category which recognises successful programmes that support people from disadvantaged backgrounds in improving their job skills and opportunities.
The team at ZIGUP are incredibly honoured to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise. This award recognises our efforts in Promoting Opportunity and reinforces the investments we are making in building skills for the future and the impact this is having on early careers, the communities in which we work and our reputation for being a responsible employer.
Martin Ward, CEO
Our apprenticeship programme is a comprehensive and award-winning initiative which includes a comprehensive suite of 45 diverse training courses, with each apprentice working with a mentor to support their learning and personal development.
Watch our video on how we support our apprentices and social mobility more broadly.
Our programme is more than just hands-on learning—it’s a launchpad for long-term careers. With mentorship, real-world experience, and tailored development, we’re proud that 90% of our apprentices choose to stay with us after completing their studies. We’re also seeing growth in the diversity of our technical teams, creating a more inclusive and innovative workforce.
We provide a broad range of technical and personal development courses for our people to help them develop their careers. Topics range across vehicle maintenance and repair skills to managing personal finances and career development.
Our investment in training isn’t just about building skills — it’s about unlocking potential, inspiring growth, and shaping the future of both people and our business
Over 87,000 hours of training in FY2024; with 144 courses available.
We’re deeply committed to helping every member of our team grow. Over the FY2024 year alone, we logged more than 87,000 hours of training, covering both technical and soft skills. This commitment to learning extends across every level of our organisation.
We also proudly support industry-wide skill development by sponsoring the Institute of Motor Industry World Skills competition, helping to raise standards and inspire excellence across the sector.
Our early careers strategy involves reaching deeply into communities to offer work experience and employment opportunities.
We invest in meeting young people in school settings, sponsoring college events, providing training in schools, and running CV clinics and mock interviews.
At ZIGUP, we know that the journey into the working world can be daunting—especially for young people just starting out. That’s why we’re providing meaningful support that helps students and early career professionals take confident steps into their futures. From classroom workshops to real-world training, we’re helping the next generation build the skills, experience, and confidence they need to thrive in the workplace. These are all designed to make the transition from education to employment more accessible, inclusive, and inspiring.
Initiatives include collaborating with local schools to run career sessions and workshops; support and sponsorships for colleges, helping students continue their education while staying connected to real-world career opportunities. We also offer technical and soft skills training to prepare students for the demands of modern workplaces, such as practical CV writing sessions and real-life interview experiences to help students build confidence, improve their responses, and get comfortable with professional conversations.
ZIGUP has formed a meaningful partnership with Treloar’s School for Disabled, welcoming students into the organisation through placement opportunities. the initiative provides valuable independence and career exposure, greatly enhancing student development.
Work placements can make a real difference — they build confidence, open doors, and create a sense of belonging. Our students have grown massively in confidence, gaining real life experience on the job and quickly become an integral part of the team, bringing unique perspectives and value
Treloar’s team leader
Through our partnership with Treloar’s, we offer customised work placements designed to be accessible, flexible, and empowering. These placements help students gain practical experience, build their confidence, and develop skills that support long-term career development. For students at Treloar’s, it’s a chance to explore their potential in a real working environment. For ZIGUP, it’s a chance to learn, grow a deeper understanding of accessibility and inclusion within our teams and build a more inclusive culture.
Across our various early careers initiatives, we encourage applications from diverse backgrounds where taking the first steps onto a career ladder can need greater support.
Allows me to learn whilst still taking home a wage.
Supporting over 200 disadvantaged participants over the past 5 years.
Promoting Opportunity is at the heart of our talent programmes, and the Company has invested heavily to make a positive impact through its apprenticeship & job experience initiatives, breaking down socio-economic barriers to employment. We are also a proud signatory of the Care Leavers and Armed Forces Covenant, offering opportunities and recruitment channels which are so crucial for creating environments where all kinds of talent can flourish. Through making efforts to create opportunities for everyone, regardless of background or ability, we are sending a message to future generations that ZIGUP is a place for them to succeed – and that’s something really powerful for the future generation and for our People.
