Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy

Purpose & scope

We believe that equity must be embedded in everything we do. That’s why our DE&I policy exists: to guide how we work, how we lead, and how we create impact. 

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) policy applies to all employees, people working on our behalf, and those working with us including our suppliers - regardless of role, contract type or location. It reflects our values and guides how we foster fairness, dignity and opportunity across our organisation. 

We align with UK legislation and local laws where applicable, but our expectations go beyond compliance. We believe in acting within the spirit of equity and inclusion, wherever we work. 

The policy is reviewed regularly and monitored by our leadership and trustees, but accountability belongs to all of us at City & Guilds.

City & Guilds Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Commitment

As a global skills organisation City & Guilds has been helping to break down barriers to skills for nearly 150 years. Access to skills changes lives, builds opportunities and is an important lever for social mobility. We believe that how we operate should reflect our commitment to equity, alleviating disadvantage and helping more people to reach their full potential in all that we do.

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Governance & accountability

We hold ourselves to account through a robust governance structure which ensures clear accountability, strategic alignment and active engagement across the organisation. Our Trustees have oversight of our DE&I strategy, which is sponsored by our Executive Leadership Team and supported by the Responsible Business, DE&I and Impact Steering Group. This ensures DE&I is embedded at all levels.  

We track progress through internal metrics and external reporting, including Gender and Ethnicity Pay gap disclosures and our Responsible Business Report. We also maintain external commitments and accreditations to ensure our approach remains rigorous, inclusive and aligned with best practice. 

DE&I Strategy

At City & Guilds we believe in creating a culture of inclusion.

Driven by our purpose and values we aim to advance equity by removing barriers for all employees and learners and enabling our partners to develop skills for the workforce of the future.

To achieve our vision, we have set goals that help embed DE&I in all that we do, ensuring solid foundations and create lasting change for longer term impact. These goals demonstrate our commitment to laying the groundwork internally through targeted and actionable solutions, inclusive processes and practices, and leadership-driven metrics and measures.

To fulfil our objectives, we are working toward the following Five Strategic goals:

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Speaking up & living our values

Creating an inclusive culture means creating safe spaces to speak up. DE&I is part of the fabric of who we are and we expect our people to support and protect the rights and dignity of all individuals. 

We encourage our colleagues to raise concerns, share feedback, and challenge bias through dedicated channels—including our Speak Up platform, Employee Support Groups, and the Dignity at Work policy. 

Speaking up isn’t just supported - it’s part of how we grow and improve together. 

We’re here if you have a concern

We have zero tolerance for discrimination, bullying or harassment—whether experienced by employees, customers, partners or learners. Our standards are clear: everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. 

If you experience or witness behaviour that doesn’t align with our values, we encourage you to reach out. You can raise a concern by getting in touch with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team.  

External Charters and Commitments

In line with our strategy, City & Guilds will use external frameworks to ensure organisational and systemic change adheres to best practice.

We will explore becoming signatories to further charters and commitments as and when capability and alignment to strategy allows.

Race at Work Charter

The Race at Work Charter is a public commitment to improving the experiences of Black and minority ethnic employees in the workplace through seven key actions, including leadership accountability, data transparency, zero tolerance for discrimination, inclusive career development, allyship, and diverse supply chains.

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Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government initiative designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. It is voluntary and has been developed by employers and disabled people's representatives. You can find further details on their website:

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Menopause Friendly Accreditation

The Menopause Friendly Accreditation is the industry recognised mark of excellence for fairly dealing with all aspects of menopause at work. It aims to enable understanding the menopause as a workplace issue, provide a framework for good workplace policy and practice measures.

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