News & events

The latest stories in this category from the City & Guilds Foundation and our networks.

Widening participation in heritage crafts: training bursary for Black and ethnically diverse makers

Widening participation in heritage crafts: training bursary for Black and ethnically diverse makers

The City & Guilds Foundation sponsors the Heritage Crafts training bursary targeted at Black and ethnically diverse makers, which is an under-represented group in heritage crafts. This guest post is by Daniel Carpenter of Heritage Crafts. For more information, see their website: heritagecrafts.org.uk. It is still the case that the UK craft sector does not accurately reflect the diversity of the UK as a whole and, for this reason, we are taking positive action to target this grant at Black...

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Applications for the London Creative Network (LCN) Programme at Cockpit open until 08 August 2022

Applications for the London Creative Network (LCN) Programme at Cockpit open until 08 August 2022

The London Creative Network (LCN) Programme at Cockpit is a professional development programme designed to provide free creative business support to craftspeople who have talent and aspiration to succeed. They are now inviting applications to join them from September to December 2022. What's included Whatever stage you are in business or practice, confident communication is key to success. This autumn, our workshop programme will focus on advancing your business practice through communication...

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

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

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...

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Unlocking refugee talent to access skilled people looking for work

The City & Guilds Foundation recently ran a virtual event with our partners The Launchpad Collective to examine how to unlock refugee talent to access skilled people looking for work. The Launchpad Collective (TLC) connects employers with refugee talent. Steered by refugees, for refugees, working side-by-side with both job seekers and employers so that roles are filled and refugees are empowered to contribute positively to society. TLC also...

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Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) Applications for funding opening 11 July 2022

Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) Applications for funding opening 11 July 2022

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) awards scholarship and apprenticeship funding of up to £18,000 to talented and aspiring craftspeople working in a broad range of traditional and contemporary skills, from farriery and thatching to jewellery design, glassblowing and millinery.  Our next application round is open 11 July - 15 August 2022 and we are looking for more talented applicants - would you be able to help us spread the word to your members, followers and network?...

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Pride Month: celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion in our networks

Pride Month: celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion in our networks

The history of LGBTQ+ Pride Month LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honour the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States and its impact was felt globally. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in the UK, a day when hundreds of LGBTQ+ people and their allies arrived in London to protest a society where we were not safe to be ourselves. The actions...

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Helping our partners in the offender / reoffending space to embrace neurodiversity

Helping our partners in the offender / reoffending space to embrace neurodiversity

Last week was my second week of secondment with the Foundation Team and I was fortunate to be able to attend a two-day Neurodiversity Train the Trainer event. It was delivered by Helen Arnold Richardson from DO-It Solutions, and was specifically for our Foundation charity partners who work with offenders and ex-offenders – all with one shared goal, to reduce reoffending. Our partners in this space includes St Giles, Groundwork, Bounce Back, No Going Back and HMP Hull – as well as colleagues...

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HRH The Princess Royal visits Xtrac Academy

HRH The Princess Royal visits Xtrac Academy

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal’s visit to meet recipients of her eponymous Princess Royal Training Award, assessed by City & Guilds she serves as president, was accommodated by the motorsport & automotive transmission technology specialist Xtrac at its global headquarters in Thatcham, in the Royal County of Berkshire, on Wednesday 11 May 2022.   The visit followed the presentation of the 2021 award to 46 businesses at a special ceremony on Thursday 28 April, at the...

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HRH The Princess Royal visits The Thames Skills Academy

HRH The Princess Royal visits The Thames Skills Academy

HRH The Princess Royal met members of The Thames Skills Academy (TSA) on 10 May, in a visit showcasing pioneering work to improve safety skills for everyone working on and beside the river. At the end of her tour at Butler’s Wharf, led by TSA’s CEO Katherine Riggs and board member Chris Livett, Her Royal Highness commented how impressed she has been at how much the organisation has achieved since it was created five years ago. Katherine Riggs said: “The Princess was extremely interested to...

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