Outstanding careers – City & Guilds as a golden thread

by Oct 1, 2020News, Our networks, President's Award, Prince Philip Medal

Prince Philip Medal… and the medallist is Craig Thomson

This award inaugurated by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh back in 1962 recognises an individual who has followed the City & Guilds path and has achieved significant success in their field or profession.

Craig Thomson FCGI

This year we are delighted to recognise the career of Craig Thomson FCGI, Director, HMP Kilmarnock.

 

Craig started his career journey over 30 years ago with a City & Guilds Prison Officer/Custodial Care qualification. Since then he has worked in the justice sector and been a fantastic champion of prison education, holding senior positions in public and private custodial care establishments in the UK and overseas.

Craig is very supportive of the City & Guilds purpose and has contributed to our discussions on the future of skills development in prison . As someone who started their career with a City & Guilds qualification, Craig truly believes in the value of vocational education and that re-training can help change the lives of individuals and prevent re-offending.

President’s Award… and the award goes to Alison Strachan

This award is the personal gift of HRH The Princess Royal, recognising an educator who has excelled at delivering a City & Guilds course.

Alison Strachan

We’re delighted to reveal that the 2020 Award is given to Alison Strachan, Chairman, Bound By Veterans Charity.

 

Alison trained at the London College of Printing and started her career in the London Shepherds Bindery workshop after qualifying 26 years ago. She became Director of the bindery in 2002 and divides her time between London and Wiltshire, where she chairs the incredible charity Bound by Veterans.

Bound by Veterans supports Wounded, Injured and Sick (WIS) ex-Servicemen and women by using the restorative powers of manual bookbinding to assist rehabilitation, improve health and well-being and develop employment skills.

Alison led on the use of the City & Guilds Diploma in Craft Skills for Creative Industries for bookbinding, developing a bespoke Level 3 qualification which opened up excellent new career opportunities for participating veterans.

In 2016, Alison formed a team at the Windsor Royal Bindery and skills & industry partners to develop the Queen’s Bindery Apprenticeship Scheme. The scheme is the only bindery apprenticeship available in the UK and ensures that the increasingly rare skills and expertise of hand bookbinding are being preserved. Eight charity Founding Partners support the scheme: Royal Collection Trust, Antiquarian Booksellers Association, City and Guilds of London Institute, The Clothworkers’ Company, The Leathersellers’ Company, The Printing Charity, Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust and The Stationers’ Company.

Alison is highly respected by professionals and students alike. Her achievements in facilitating learning in this complex craft have been life changing for many. Her work resonates with our purpose: to break down barriers to developing skills and meaningful employment.

Want to be kept up to date?

Sign up to City & Guilds Foundation email alerts and newsletter

Previous posts

Foundation & Friends podcast: Inspiring Inclusion with Sparta Global

Here at City & Guilds, our purpose is helping people, organisations and economies develop their skills for growth. Through our Foundation, we act as a catalyst for this work, by helping remove barriers to getting a job, celebrating best practice on the job and...

Championing apprenticeships: Insights from City & Guilds’ Young Learner Advisory Team

With nearly 150 years’ experience of successfully supporting training and skills development across the UK and globally, City & Guilds believes in listening to learners. Our new Young Learner Advisory Team (YLAT) guide us by sharing their valuable insights and...

What we learned about making applications more accessible – for refugee women and for all

Access to training and learning opportunities is one of the barriers for refugee women with experience of seeking safety to start or progress their professional lives in the UK. This includes financial barriers, as well as other barriers related to accessing...

Improving young refugees’ educational outcomes through our partnership with the Positive Youth Foundation

At the City & Guilds Foundation we’re passionate about advocating for, and supporting, people who face barriers to accessing skills development. Two years ago, we looked at supporting refugees as a beneficiary group – and have supported a number of different grass...

Bookings now open for City and Guilds of London Art School Spring and Summer Short Courses 2024!

The City and Guilds of London Art School are delighted to announce the launch of their Spring/Summer 2024 Short Courses. A perfect last-minute gift for yourself or someone you love! Next term, they will be extending their pilot programme of Evening Courses with Spring...

Celebrating the very best training and development programmes in the UK and Ireland

Last week, 53 recipients from the UK and Ireland were warmly welcomed to St James’s Palace, in London, to receive their Princess Royal Training Award from Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal.

Human-Centered Leadership: Nurturing Creativity, Connection, and Collaboration

We attended Anthropy this month. The second edition of a gathering like no other, set in the beautiful Eden Project in Cornwall to bring together leading voices to imagine a better world. It’s no surprise that leadership was at the centre of conversations as a tool...

Big Idea Fund: Five new projects awarded funding to unlock potential and support rehabilitation

Back in June we announced that we were inviting expressions of interest for the second round of our Big Idea Fund. The £1m Big Idea Fund was established in 2019 as the first major initiative of our Foundation, to support prisoners with upskilling to aid their...

Neurodiversity Index 2024

Did you know that in the workplace, 40% of neurodivergent employees say they are impacted most days in the workplace by their condition and only 32% of employees felt that they can disclose their neurodivergent condition? These are some of the key findings from our...

Podcast episodes

Foundation & Friends Podcast (2024-)

​Green Skills Podcast in collaboration with Green Edge (2024-)

Hosted by Dr. Michael Cross and Fraser Harper, this podcast series explores the critical transition towards a sustainable planet and the pivotal role of green skills in shaping the economy.

Listen now

City & Guilds Foundation Podcast (2021-22)

Share This