Connecting our communities | City & Guilds Foundation

Connecting Communities: new free service to support London residents into full time employment

by Lauren Roberts | 22 Apr 2022 | Advocacy, Bursaries, Connecting our communities, Digital poverty, News, Social investment, Youth engagement

Connecting Communities: Your Bridge to Success Connecting Communities is a free service that can support eligible individuals* into full time employment. There are lots of jobs in the City of London, and Connecting Communities can help individuals by: Improving basic skillsLearning new skillsPreparing for a jobPutting together a CVGaining work experienceAccessing and applying for local jobs To arrange a meeting with one of their experienced Caseworkers, email...

Co-op Levy Share: working together to fund thousands of apprenticeships

by Julia Bena | 12 Apr 2022 | Advocacy, Alumni, Connecting our communities

On Tuesday 5 April, City & Guilds Foundation held an event in partnership with The Co-op discussing how large organisations with unspent apprenticeship levy can share funds with smaller businesses in need as part of their Levy Share initiative. Aimed at businesses who may have a large enough levy pot to share, but also businesses who may not have enough levy for their own apprenticeship ambitions, the event provided advice on how to access levy funds and use them to realise apprenticeship...

[Podcast] Lost Opportunities: The Hidden Cost of Caring

by Lauren Roberts | 16 Mar 2022 | Advocacy, Connecting our communities, Inclusion & diversity, Podcasts, Youth engagement

To celebrate Young Carers Action Day, Lauren Roberts, our Foundation Advocacy lead invited Rosario Waterlow, Corporate Partnerships Executive to talk about her lived experience of being a young carer and navigating the education system and employment. Listen to hear about what more educators and employers can do support young carers to tackle the growing issues of isolation. At the City & Guilds Foundation we are all about removing the barriers that less advantaged members of our...

[Podcast] Inclusion & Diversity Series: Race inclusion – supporting black talent

by Julia Bena | 13 Oct 2021 | Connecting our communities, Inclusion & diversity, Podcasts

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. this episode explores the importance of role models and allies in breaking down barriers at work for all ethnic groups. Having visible role models at all levels of a company and across different roles provides concrete evidence and inspiration for ethnically...

City & Guilds – continuing to forge the skills for today, and tomorrow

by Michael Osbaldeston | 3 Sep 2021 | Connecting our communities, News

Everything we do at City & Guilds is driven by our purpose. Today we talk about enabling people to develop the skills which will get them into a job, help them develop on the job and be able to progress to the next job. We also talk about skills being essential for economic well-being for individuals, organisations and economies, but where did all that come from? You have to go back to the Victorian era in the 1850s: a time of great change with the introduction of new...

Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) Applications for funding opening 12 July 2021

by Stuart Tucker | 30 Jun 2021 | Bursaries, Connecting our communities

We are delighted to announce that our friends at the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust will be accepting new applications for funding between 12 July and 16 August 2021. Talented and aspiring candidates can apply for up to £18,000 to further their education through traditional college courses, vocational training, apprenticeships or one-to-one training with master craftsmen. The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) awards scholarship and apprenticeship funding of up to £18,000 to talented...

New bursary launched to help Londoners get back into work

by Amber Ainsworth | 21 May 2021 | Bursaries, Connecting our communities, News

Created in response to the impact of the pandemic on London’s labour market, the new £50K London Bursary Skills fund aims to remove barriers to help Londoners quickly upskill and find work Today, the City & Guilds Foundation – part of skills organisation City & Guilds Group – has launched a new London Bursary skills fund of £50,000, aimed at helping those who need it most across the capital get the skills they need, fast. Set up in response to the serious impact of the...

Announcing Clink Kitchens

by Alan O'Doherty | 23 Mar 2021 | Connecting our communities, News, Social investment

Long term City & Guilds partner Clink Restaurant Charity announces the launch of Clink Kitchens, bringing new training opportunities to thousands of prisoners across 70 facilities We’re delighted to congratulate the Clink on the recent announcement that they will be launching their Clink Kitchens scheme, offering training, culminating in a City & Guilds qualification, across 70 prisons across the UK. Over the next three years this scheme will allow offenders to complete their level 2...

It’s time to act on digital exclusion

by Lauren Roberts | 4 Dec 2020 | Connecting our communities, Youth engagement

Last month I was invited to speak at the Apprenticeship Diversity & Social Mobility Forum, which aims to bring together leading figures in diversity and inclusion, and experts on social mobility. The series of three annual events was organised by one of our newest partners, the BAME Apprenticeships Alliance, a community of organisations who support diversity in the workplace through policy and advocacy. The...

Interview with Change Grow Live’s Laura Shurrock

by Polly Adamson | 15 Oct 2020 | Connecting our communities, News, Social investment, Youth engagement

We recently caught up with Laura Shurrock, Mentoring Support Officer at Change Grow Live, a charity we have been supporting since 2018 with a three-year grant. Change Grow Live’s mission is to help people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential. Our funding supports Change Grow Live's project in partnership with Birmingham Youth Offending Service and the West Midlands Police, which helps young people in the community who are at risk of...