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:

Eliminating barriers to employment in the green sector

Eliminating barriers to employment in the green sector

Creating and filling green jobs is crucial if the UK is to meet its target to deliver a net-zero economy by 2050 (Green Jobs Taskforce, 2021). Green jobs help to protect and restore the natural environment whilst also boosting economic growth, improving energy security, cutting household bills and promoting healthier communities. In essence, they benefit both people and the planet. However, the available workers and skill set required for these positions are increasingly falling short of what...

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Celebrating our first carbon literacy training participants

Celebrating our first carbon literacy training participants

Between November and February, 28 colleagues across City & Guilds were invited to be involved in a pilot for Carbon Literacy Training and we are delighted that all have now received their Carbon Literacy accreditation. To be Carbon Literate means taking actionable steps towards tackling the climate emergency, feeling confident in communicating on this topic to our customers and stakeholders, and doing all that we can to mitigate the effects of climate change within our industry and...

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Commitment of big business proves vital to tackle reoffending

Commitment of big business proves vital to tackle reoffending

We were delighted to see the latest MOJ release that some of the UK’s biggest and most progressive companies have deepened their commitment to get people in prison into work on release, and that this has played a pivotal role in the rising numbers of prison leavers in employment 6 months after release - almost two thirds between April 2021 and March 2022, from 14 per cent to 23 per cent. According to government statistics, reoffending is reduced by up to nine percentage points for those who...

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£150k of funding to grass root charities who are supporting the refugee community

£150k of funding to grass root charities who are supporting the refugee community

Like most organisations, we were incredibly distressed to see what was happening in Ukraine earlier this year. Given the City & Guilds Foundation’s focus on supporting people who face barriers to develop skills, we knew we had to do something to support not only Ukrainian refugees, but the wider refugee population too. Over the past six months, my teams have been working behind the scenes to understand the real situation faced by refugees, and to identify organisations who we could partner...

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How can you reduce your carbon footprint at work?

How can you reduce your carbon footprint at work?

This guest post is by Enas Rauf who was an intern in the Foundation team during July and August 2022. A carbon footprint is the measure of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of economic or human activity. With small changes, we can get big results! If everyone did these little changes, it would help us reduce our impact on the environment and help us achieve a healthier lifestyle. Here are some tips to help you get started! 7 ways you can reduce your carbon footprint...

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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

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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[Podcast] Inclusion & Diversity Series: Marginalised Groups – Prison Leavers

[Podcast] Inclusion & Diversity Series: Marginalised Groups – Prison Leavers

As part of the City & Guilds Foundation Inclusion and diversity events series, offering thought-provoking conversations and actionable steps to promote equal opportunities and improve inclusion and diversity in your organisation. In this episode we explored excluded groups and giving fair chances for people with lived experience of prison to gain employment. Most prison leavers want the opportunity to turn their life around. Having a job helps them stay out of prison and getting back on...

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Breaking leadership barriers for women

Breaking leadership barriers for women

Sharing best practice Members of the Princess Royal Training Awards Alumni network have access to a wide range of benefits including opportunities to network with over 200 forward thinking UK-based organisations and the chance to attend many diverse events and development opportunities. One such virtual event took place on the 3 December when Sue Gammons, former Coaching Director at GSK, presented to 25 Alumni members on how creating a systemic approach to address gender balance led GSK to...

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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

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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