Polly Rowe | City & Guilds Foundation

Celebrating skills development, in Prison, to support rehabilitation, on release

by Polly Rowe | 12 May 2023 | Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, News & events, Prisoners and ex-offenders

For nearly four years now we have endeavoured, through our Foundation, to identify and activate practical ways for offenders to build skills and gain a job upon release. Reoffending costs approximately £18.1bn every year in England, and evidence shows that upskilling prisoners to gain sustainable employment upon release, together with stable accommodation and support, is the most effective way to counter reoffending. As part of our Future Skills Commission for Prisons, we have now funded eight...

City & Guilds Foundation funds Breakthrough to support prison leavers into apprenticeships in innovative new partnership

by Polly Rowe | 8 Feb 2023 | Campaigning, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders

The City & Guilds Foundation and Breakthrough, the UK’s first apprenticeship provider to recruit directly from prisons, have entered a new partnership to support prison leavers into employment. Founded in March 2020, Breakthrough was the first charity to focus on delivering pre-apprenticeship training in prison and technology apprenticeships on release. And for the first time, from October 2022 the government has allowed prisoners to start apprenticeships in prison – this could be...

Belfast Met: The Ripple Effect of receiving a Princess Royal Training Award

by Polly Rowe | 16 Dec 2022 | Case studies, Princess Royal Training Awards

Lee Marley Brickwork: The Ripple Effect of receiving a Princess Royal Training Award

by Polly Rowe | 16 Dec 2022 | Case studies, Princess Royal Training Awards

City & Guilds Foundation and Gower College Swansea launch innovative £100k project to support at risk young people into secure employment

by Polly Rowe | 8 Sep 2022 | Critical transition points, Funding, News, Our networks, Youth engagement

The City & Guilds Foundation and Gower College Swansea have entered into a new strategic partnership to support learners at risk of dropping out of education, overcome barriers and find positive ways to gain skills and enduring work. The funding will put up to 200 young people through a Transition & Engagement support programme, designed to raise aspirations and help disadvantaged and disengaged learners to develop and enhance existing skills to prepare them for the world of work. The...

How we’re supporting St Giles to change lives by investing in vital training

by Polly Rowe | 14 Jul 2022 | Awareness Raising, Campaigning, Funding, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders

St Giles is a London-based charity that helps people create a better future for themselves, and they’ve been an active part of our Foundation network for over five years. The charity works with people to overcome poverty, exploitation, abuse, addiction, mental health problems, crime or a combination of these issues. And a significant number of its peer advisors are people who have overcome their own struggles – often through St Giles’ own programmes. The peer advisors then use their ‘lived...

No Going Back: City & Guilds Foundation supports The Livery Company initiative

by Polly Rowe | 2 Mar 2022 | Charity partners, Livery companies, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders

There are few occasions since setting up City & Guilds some 144 years ago when the Livery Companies have worked together towards a single objective. And that’s why we’re delighted that through the City & Guilds Foundation we’re able to support the new and exciting Livery ‘No Going Back’ initiative supporting offender rehabilitation. At the City & Guilds Foundation supporting the rehabilitation of offenders and former offenders has been a priority for some time. We recognise that...

A partnership that’s making a real difference, to real people

by Polly Rowe | 21 May 2021 | Charity partners, Funding, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders, Social Impact

The City & Guilds Foundation and The Educators’ Trust have teamed up to provide mental health first aid training for a team of advisors delivering vital services to vulnerable young people. The training which also includes essential digital skills will be delivered through St Giles – a charity using expertise and real-life past experiences to empower people who are not getting the help they need. People held back by poverty, exploited, abused, dealing with addiction or mental health...

Support for a green start

by Polly Rowe | 27 Jan 2021 | Funding, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders

This guest post is by Andrew Harrison, Head of Contracts at Groundwork UK. As has often been said of late, we’re facing unprecedented challenges as a nation. Those challenges are many and significant – global economic trends, a changing climate and now an unforgiving pandemic. All of these forces impact first and worst on those in our society who have least, adding to the structural inequalities that have been affecting parts of our country for decades. Supporting those who need it most...

Supporting people and organisations through Covid-19

by Polly Rowe | 22 Jan 2021 | Awards alumni, Bursaries, Charity partners, Critical transition points, Funding, News

Earlier this year, the City & Guilds Foundation Committee approved £100k of funding to support organisations and individuals who are facing the fallout to their vital services / employment challenges due to Covid-19. Our purpose is all about helping people to develop their skills and our Foundation aims to remove barriers to getting a job, celebrate best practice on the job and to advocate for jobs of the future. We have been working hard...