A Catalyst for Opportunity

Since 2015, City & Guilds Foundation has been driven by a single purpose: to create opportunities for everyone to succeed, no matter who they are or where they come from. Our 2025 report looks back over the past five years to see what’s possible when vocational skills are used as a catalyst for social and economic change, even as we navigated unprecedented changes to the way we live and work.

A New Chapter for the City & Guilds Foundation

The City & Guilds of London Institute has entered a landmark agreement with global leader in education and assessment PeopleCert, marking a pivotal moment in which our revenue-generating activities will be enabled to access greater investment, and have greater impact moving forwards. This strategic move will also enable the Foundation to focus even more sharply on its charitable mission — championing skills development, increasing access to opportunity, and supporting those furthest from the labour market.

City & Guilds Foundation

 

Our Mission:

Removing barriers to getting a job, celebrating best practice on the job, and advocating for jobs of the future.

What We Offer

 

Supporting people who face barriers to developing skills and sustaining employment:

We seek to tackle these challenges and maximise our impact through the provision of Funding, Awards, Resources and Campaigning.

About Us

 

Innovate, Celebrate and Evaluate:

Each of the programmes we run act as a catalyst for us to make a difference to people, organisations and society through investing our surplus into helping everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, get opportunities to succeed.

Get Involved

 

Working with individuals, charities and employers:

The City & Guilds Foundation aims to innovate, celebrate and evaluate opportunities that make a real difference in people’s lives, supporting everyone to succeed, no matter who they are or where they come from.

City & Guilds Foundation logo

Removing barriers to getting a job, celebrating best practice on the job, and advocating for jobs of the future.

With a focus on high-impact social investment, recognition and advocacy programmes, the City & Guilds Foundation aims to innovate, celebrate and evaluate opportunities that make a real difference in people’s lives, supporting everyone to succeed, no matter who they are or where they come from. The Foundation is a catalyst for providing opportunities in skills and work and delivering against our purpose.

What we offer

Supporting people who face barriers to developing skills and sustaining employment is at the heart of our work. We seek to tackle these challenges and maximise our impact through the provision of Funding, Awards and Campaigning.

Funding

Helping people to secure and sustain employment, we provide funding for training to displaced people, former offenders and people from lower socio-economic groups. We aim to enhance opportunities for labour market progression and meaningful employment, changing lives and creating a more equal society.

Campaigning

Our campaigns seek to remove barriers and challenge perceptions which negatively impact on work and skills development opportunities for marginalised groups. Our campaigns are far-reaching: championing inclusion & diversity, neurodiversity, youth engagement, employment for refugees, and underlining the challenges of digital poverty.

Awards

Dedicated to recognising and rewarding quality and excellence, we promote the acknowledgement, appreciation and celebration of individuals and organisations who demonstrate commitment and investment in skills development, via a number of prestigious awards.

The Foundation

By breaking down barriers, celebrating best practice, and championing future jobs, we create opportunities that help people everywhere to succeed. We drive social impact through investment, recognition, and advocacy programmes that open up access to skills and work.

Businesses and organisations

With a commitment to sharing knowledge and driving forward skills for growth, City & Guilds Foundation works with thousands of organisations, generating industry relationships, bringing together networks, matching funding, celebrating best practice and inspiring change.

With a commitment to sharing knowledge and driving forward skills for growth, City & Guilds Foundation works with thousands of organisations, generating industry relationships, bringing together networks, matching funding, celebrating best practice and inspiring change.

Our Team

We’re very proud of all our people who make a real difference in a wide variety of roles. Our hard-working team are committed to supporting and actively promoting the work of the City & Guilds Foundation and without their dedication, the work that happens across the Foundation wouldn’t be possible.

Our Partners

The City & Guilds Foundation works with thousands of diverse organisations to enhance our impact and inspire change. We work to remove the barriers faced by displaced people to develop skills and gain meaningful work and we help prisoners to gain skills and move into lasting employment on release.

Our Theory of Change

Based on our purpose of helping people, organisations and economies to develop their skills for growth, our Theory of Change enables consistent understanding and reporting of social impact through assessing what difference the Foundation is making to people, organisations and wider society.

Our Heritage

As a registered charity with over 140 years of experience working with people, organisations and economies, we understand the life-changing link between skills development, social mobility, prosperity and success. We’re proud of our past and excited for our future.

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City & Guilds Foundation
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