Since last year, there has been the added bonus for me of being able to share this celebration with the McDonald's restaurant managers who have studied for the company's degree in managing business operations.
McDonald's delivers its degree in partnership with MMUBS, which means our managers get to experience the grandeur of a formal graduation ceremony in the magnificent setting of the city's Bridgewater Hall. It is an event I particularly look forward to attending each year, largely because universities do these ceremonies so well. And it always brings the memories of my own graduation flooding back.
They are warm memories of being able to share what I had achieved with the people who had supported me on the journey. And they are also crystal clear memories - in stark contrast to my hazy recollection of the morning when the rattle of the letterbox heralded the arrival of my A-level results.
There is an interesting contrast here. Both of these events were hugely significant moments in my life, which I knew at the time would open up exciting opportunities and experiences. Yet one is etched in my mind in bright, colourful detail, while the other is as distinctive and memorable as a plain brown envelope landing on a plain brown doormat. Not very memorable at all.
It is a contrast learning and development teams might want to consider when they are preparing their training budgets because, for me, the way an organisation creates memorable moments around the completion of its core programmes can have a dramatic impact on the return on investment in training.
So what is it that makes graduation so memorable? Well the pomp and splendour certainly help, but I think the most important thing is being able to share that moment with the people who supported you on your journey. And top of that list are the people who taught and guided you.
That is because the bond between trainer and trainee is enormously powerful. At the start of the learning process, the trainee can be vulnerable - they may know little or nothing about the subject they will be studying and they need to have complete trust in the trainer. But by the end they are competent and empowered, ready to apply the skills and knowledge they have learned.
From dependence to independence: that is a huge transition for anyone. And it's the emotional rollercoaster, which accompanies this transition, that forges the bond - and which makes the presence of the trainer at the end of that process so important and memorable for the trainee.
Whether it's as simple as presenting a certificate at the end of a one-day course, or holding a dinner at the end of a five-day residential, a celebration where trainers and trainees share their success can transform the completion of a business-as-usual training programme into a succession of memorable moments - landmarks on an individual's career landscape.
Planned well, the costs associated with doing this will be negligible in comparison to the overall cost of a programme. However, the business value generated by the resulting uplift in the trainee's pride and engagement is likely to be significant. And as a way of nurturing a culture of learning right across the organisation, the potential could be enormous.
So, next time you see a bright, smiling face in a graduation photograph, give a thought to what made that day so memorable for the proud individual in the picture. Behind their smile is probably the simplest and most cost- effective way of enhancing the return your organisation gets on its investment in training that you'll ever find.
