The latest stories in this category from the City & Guilds Foundation and our networks.
Welcome to our first Foundation newsletter, I hope you enjoy finding out about everything we’ve been up to recently and are as inspired as I am about how we can make a difference through shining a light on skills development.
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...
We are thrilled to be able to celebrate the contributions of those who passionately advocate for technical, vocational and lifelong education. Fellowship of the City & Guilds of London Institute is a prestigious honour, recognising individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional and personal achievements in skills development and workplace training. Welcome to the new Fellows who are joining the network in 2020. We hope to be able to celebrate with you all in the near future!...
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...
Our bursary programme was designed to change people’s lives by allowing them to develop their skills. We know that, for some, the cost of training can be a huge barrier to getting the skills to find jobs and progress in their careers. Recent research indicates that without the support of funding, those hardest to reach will find it even harder to progress in a labour market which favours those already in higher-paying work. That’s why we set up the bursary programme in 2000 – to help people in...
Our youth engagement work aims to take a practical approach in informing and helping young people, especially those at risk of becoming NEET, to make more informed choices about their future. One of the biggest barriers young people face when entering the world of work is adapting and settling into a working environment. By giving students the chance to meet employers while still in the classroom setting, we aim to bridge the gap between schools providing support for academic success and...
Local unemployed people are to be given free training leading to a job on the railway network on successful completion of the programme, as the region ramps up its Covid-19 recovery plans. The West Midlands Combined Authority has partnered with the City & Guilds Foundation to create a new training and jobs scheme, which will see 16 unemployed people gain the skills they need to help maintain the region’s rail lines. Funding for the training is being supplied by the City & Guilds...
Conversations with professionals and experience in workplaces is the single most effective intervention at changing stereotypical expectations about future careers. Helping young people understand the job opportunities available to them is something we’re passionate about at the City & Guilds Foundation. That’s why we’re proud to support The Girls’ Network, a charity that matches female mentors from non-graduate pathways with girls from the least advantaged communities in the UK. So far,...
Prince Philip Medal… and the medallist is Craig Thomson This award inaugurated by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh back in 1962 recognises an individual who has followed the City & Guilds path and has achieved significant success in their field or profession. This year we are delighted to recognise the career of Craig Thomson FCGI, Director, HMP Kilmarnock. Craig started his career journey over 30 years ago with a City & Guilds Prison Officer/Custodial Care qualification. Since then he...
‘Michael! We haven’t had our letter, were we successful?’ Deep intake of breath… this is the call you don’t want to take. ‘We didn’t did we? And I know why - too soon and not enough evidence!’ And from that very perceptive response by Damien McKnight, Training Apprenticeship & Development Manager at Dovecote Park evolved two future very successful applications in 2018 and 2020 for recognition through the Princess Royal...
