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Laura Mountain

Laura Mountain

Strategic Relationships Manager

“Law-rah Moun-tain” | she/her

Laura focuses on how the City & Guilds Foundation can help address some of the most pressing issues faced by society today.

She leads our overall strategy for grant-giving, advocacy, and awards, and looking at ways we can deliver the highest impact possible in partnership with those that share our purpose.

Laura is very solutions-focused, loves joining the dots and making new connections.

Laura loves spending time with friends, family (especially her toddler), reading and eating!

positivity | empathy | strategic | arranger | maximizer

The latest stories from Laura Mountain on the City & Guilds Foundation website:

City & Guilds launches new Commission to tackle surge in youth unemployment   

City & Guilds launches new Commission to tackle surge in youth unemployment   

by | 24 Mar 2025 | , , ,

City & Guilds commit £500,000 in funding to target local challenges in areas of deprivation and economic inactivity in the UK  New Transitions Commission announced to support more young people into Further Education  1 million young people are not in education, employment or training, the highest level for more than a decade  City & Guilds Foundation have established a new commission to address the high volume of youth unemployment in the UK.  The Transitions...

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From Princesses to prisoners: celebrating 30 years at City & Guilds with Michael Osbaldeston

From Princesses to prisoners: celebrating 30 years at City & Guilds with Michael Osbaldeston

by | 20 Mar 2025 | , ,

Today marks the 30th anniversary of our much-loved colleague Michael. You're just as likely to see him with a glass of champagne at the City’s most elegant halls as you are helping out at a community kitchen in Stockport. We are indebted to ‘MO’ for his time, generosity, and good humour. Publishing here his Friday reflections from a couple of weeks  ago to share just a tiny bit of life as the inimitable Michael Osbaldeston. Here’s to the next 30! What a week!  If there is a certain beer...

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New Local Community Skills Fund to empower UK communities through skills and training

New Local Community Skills Fund to empower UK communities through skills and training

by | 16 Jan 2025 | , , , ,

Grants of up to £10,000 available for UK Charities, Social Enterprises and Training Providers. City & Guilds Foundation has launched a pilot scheme to help fund initiatives designed to boost employment, skills and development in communities across the UK. As part of the Foundation’s drive to support innovative local projects, the Local Community Skills Fund aims to boost community-led initiatives which may not be eligible for funding from traditional sources. The Fund will tackle skills...

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Changing Lives, Changing Industries: HMP Highpoint’s groundbreaking rail training

Changing Lives, Changing Industries: HMP Highpoint’s groundbreaking rail training

by | 5 Dec 2024 | , ,

Around two weeks ago, we had the privilege of attending HMP Highpoint to see the opening of the first ever rail centre of excellence in prison, which back in 2022 we provided funding for installation of a rail track so that industry-standard training could be delivered to the men inside. We talk a lot in the City & Guilds Foundation about our role in removing barriers for people to gain skills and opportunities. But in seeing the incredible facilities – a pipe dream less than two and a...

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How Catch22 is supporting individuals into entry-level green sector roles

How Catch22 is supporting individuals into entry-level green sector roles

by | 7 Oct 2024 | , , , , ,

We know that the cost of training can be a huge obstacle to accessing the skills needed to get into work. This makes it even more challenging to those already facing barriers in society. That’s why over 20 years ago we established our bursary programme: to support those in financial need to access training and development which will lead to sustainable employment. We focus particularly on awarding funding in sectors where more skilled workers will be needed in the future. So when we heard that...

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Princess Royal Training Award recipients change lives by investing in mental health training for staff

Princess Royal Training Award recipients change lives by investing in mental health training for staff

by | 12 May 2022 | , ,

Did you know more than 1 in 7 people have mental health problems in the workplace?  As part of the UK’s Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 May 2022), we’re spotlighting some recent Princess Royal Training Award winners who are seeing huge results from investing in staff wellbeing training. Using well-being to improve performance Eyres Monsell Primary School, Leicester This primary school, based in an area with significant deprivation, created the Spotlight Programme to develop teacher...

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From prison to lockdown: how to make peer-mentoring work in the crisis

From prison to lockdown: how to make peer-mentoring work in the crisis

by | 6 Oct 2020 | , , , ,

The best ideas are born out of necessity, and for St Giles that was finding a way to deliver the Peer Advisor programme during Covid-19. The programme trains people with lived experience of social exclusion, including many prisoners and prison-leavers, to become Level 3 qualified Peer Advisors who then go on to support others from similar backgrounds. It plays a significant role in helping people overcome barriers and move towards employment; research from Cranfield University found that...

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Shifting Skills

Shifting Skills

by | 1 Oct 2020 | , , ,

There’s no doubt that coronavirus has hit the workforce hard; around 4 million people across the UK expected to be unemployed by the end of the year.  And our Recovery and Resilience research found that people in lower socio-economic groups are most at risk. Skills Bridges To help people without a job, or those working in sectors that are suffering from major cutbacks, City & Guilds has partnered with leading social learning platform FutureLearn to create a Skills Bridge programme....

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New skills fund to unlock £500m per year employment potential of UK prison population supporting efforts to rebuild after Covid

New skills fund to unlock £500m per year employment potential of UK prison population supporting efforts to rebuild after Covid

by | 22 Sep 2020 | , , , , ,

Unlocking the skills potential of the UK’s prison population could put £500million a year back into the economy in lowering reoffending rates alone[1], a much-needed boost as we seek to rebuild the economy following Covid, new analysis from the City & Guilds Foundation suggests. The findings come as City & Guilds, the leading skills development provider, launches an ambitious new Future Skills Commission for Prisons to use jobs and training to help divert prisoners from committing...

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