Awareness Raising | City & Guilds Foundation

Listen. Learn. Support. What Refugee Week Reminds Us about Community

by Natasha Kalinga | 23 Jun 2025 | Awareness Raising, Campaigning, Charity partners, Lived Experience, News, News & events, Our networks, Refugee support, Social Impact

At City & Guilds, we believe in the life-changing power of skills. But we also know that skills alone aren’t always enough to help people succeed. That’s why, through the City & Guilds Foundation we’ve been working with grassroots charities and partners since 2022 to help refugees and displaced people access training, build confidence, and find meaningful work. Here’s a little bit about the impact we’re making. Since launching our Displaced People Fund in 2022, we’ve: Supported...

Mental Health Matters: Finding Balance in a Busy World

by Lauren Roberts | 16 May 2025 | Awareness Raising, Campaigning, News, News & events, Our networks, Resources

This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is community, a word that pretty much sums up the City & Guilds Foundation network. Through the Foundation, we are dedicated to providing support to people facing barriers or disadvantage, offering opportunities for relationship building, creating maximum reach, establishing clear links to skills development and being measurable. Empathy, a drive for change and the want to support others are three characteristics that our network has in...

Celebrating women leaders and the power of accelerating action this International Women’s Day

by Polly Rowe | 8 Mar 2025 | Awareness Raising, News, Princess Royal Training Awards

To celebrate International Women’s Day I am delighted to share with you this conversation I had with three powerhouse female leaders who I get the pleasure of working with in my day job! I am joined in this podcast with Kirstie Donnelly MBE, our City & Guilds Chief Executive; Fenella Tallon, Chief Assessor for our Princess Royal Training Awards and; Faiza Khan MBE, our Executive Director for Corporate Affairs and Foundation. In the conversation my lovely guests explored with me why it’s...

Foundation & Friends Podcast: Breaking Barriers – Stories from Women in Leadership

by Natasha Kalinga | 8 Mar 2025 | Awareness Raising, Podcasts, Princess Royal Training Awards

Ever wondered what it really takes to climb the career ladder as a woman? Or how to navigate the challenges of imposter syndrome? Join host Polly Rowe for a special International Women’s Day episode of Foundation and Friends, as she sits down with three remarkable female leaders from the Princess Royal Training Awards.

Foundation & Friends Podcast: Transforming Futures Of Young People with Faiza Khan MBE

by Natasha Kalinga | 23 Jul 2024 | Awareness Raising, Green skills, Podcasts, Responsible Business

Young people now face unprecedented challenges, including financial worries, employment and climate concerns - with implications for a new generation’s mental health, and the health of the UK economy. In this Foundation & Friends podcast, host and Executive Director, Corporate Affairs & Foundation, City & Guilds, Faiza Khan MBE, is joined by Thora Eberts, Director of Network Delivery, UK Youth, and Maddie Dinwoodie, Director of Engagement Programmes, Engineering UK, for a wide...

Foundation & Friends Podcast: Unlocking Hidden Refugee Talent with Jessica Ridgewell from Breaking Barriers

by Natasha Kalinga | 19 Jun 2024 | Awareness Raising, Charity partners, Lived Experience, Podcasts, Refugee support

How employers can harness the potential of refugee candidates While many UK employers will be aware of the social value associated with supporting refugees, not all will be aware of how best to harness the talent and experience that refugees can bring to the workplace. In this podcast, host Lauren Roberts is joined by Jessica Ridgewell, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Breaking Barriers, who shares her experience of helping major UK businesses to access, integrate and benefit from refugee...

Foundation & Friends Podcast: Championing Investment into DEI Programmes with Tammy Banks from Taye Training

by Natasha Kalinga | 30 May 2024 | Awards alumni, Awareness Raising, City & Guilds initiatives, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Lived Experience, Neurodiversity, Podcasts

Successful DEI training within organisations can foster innovation and creativity as well as attract and retain top talent. To explore this topic, host Charmain Bucho, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at City & Guilds, is joined by Taye Training Director, Consultant & Facilitator Tammy Banks. The esteemed author and TED Talks speaker explores how investment in skills opens opportunities for staff in the social care and criminal justice sectors. Tammy discusses the transformative...

Foundation & Friends podcast: Championing Investment into Early Talent

by Natasha Kalinga | 23 Apr 2024 | Awards alumni, Awareness Raising, Foundation Collective, News, Podcasts, Princess Royal Training Awards, Youth engagement

A successful early talent strategy and strong learning culture can help organisations to attract, engage and retain early career employees, leading to a more productive workforce and a thriving future for your organisation. To explore this topic, host Manuel Thompson-Ọ́lọ́kọ̀, Early Talent and Apprenticeships Partner at City & Guilds, is joined by Lesley Bamber, Early Careers UK & I Lead at award-winning firm WTW, who shares his proven strategies for developing young talent and...

Advancing A Greener Future: City & Guilds’ Carbon Reduction Journey

by Faiza Khan MBE | 4 Apr 2024 | Awareness Raising, Campaigning, City & Guilds initiatives, Responsible Business

As a global leader in skills development, we at City & Guilds recognise the vital role we play in addressing social, environmental, and economic issues. We are committed to embedding responsible business practices into all aspects of our work, which includes our journey to becoming net zero. We recently completed the annual calculation of our carbon footprint, and are proud to announce we have achieved a commendable 10% reduction in carbon emissions compared to our baseline in 2019. This...

Learn about the latest findings on Neurodiversity at work in our latest report

by Natasha Kalinga | 10 Mar 2024 | Awareness Raising, Campaigning, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Neurodiversity, News

At City & Guilds we are all connected by our common purpose: to help people develop their skills. And our City & Guilds Foundation was established back in 2019 to really amplify our purpose and particularly with a focus on supporting individuals who face significant barriers in developing their skills. In an era where inclusivity has become a cornerstone of organisational success, championing and supporting neurodiversity in the workplace is more important than ever. In 2022, we...