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Our commitment

At City & Guilds we recognise that an unconditional commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) is fundamental to delivering our purpose of helping people, organisations and economies develop the skill they need for growth, and this extends to all people, organisations and wider stakeholders we work with, wherever we work.

We understand the life changing link between skills development, social mobility, prosperity, and success. We believe that people deserve the opportunity to (re)train and (re)learn again and again, gaining new skills at every stage of life, regardless of where they start.

Additionally, our responsibility for living our values of inspire, improve, achieve and trust enables us to deliver this commitment every day, by removing barriers in all aspects of our work, and ultimately helps contribute to a more just and equitable society.

our commitment values

We commit to:

1

Advancing knowledge of DE&I throughout our organisation, enabling us to become a fully inclusive organisation..
2

Firmly establishing DE&I within our responsible business strategy.
3

Recognising and upholding regional and global DE&I standards and legislation.
4

Creating and promoting effective policies and practices to tackle discrimination, prejudice, harassment and unfair treatment or behaviour that undermines individuals and our values.
5

Providing an environment where all voices will be heard – and listened to.
6

Establishing clear policies and processes to investigate discrimination, prejudice, harassment and unfair treatment, and taking timely appropriate action.
7

Growing a thoughtful and respectful culture where inclusive behaviour is championed, expected and grows our capabilities.
8

Learning, sharing, and promoting best practice in DE&I within and outside our organisation.
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How we will deliver on this commitment:

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Leadership accountability

Our CEO will sponsor and take full accountability for our DE&I work, also ensuring the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and broader leadership community uphold the commitments. This will be further reinforced by oversight and accountability to the Trustees.

Action plan

We will develop and share a clear plan outlining the steps we will take to deliver on our commitments and update the business regularly on progress.

Responsible business

We will ensure DE&I is threaded through every aspect of our work and the way we do business – from the products we create to the learning we deliver.

Safe reporting and prompt action

We will provide a variety of ways for employees to speak up safely, and where all voices are heard – from investigation to taking appropriate and timely action.

Personal accountability

We will each hold ourselves and each other to account for our own behaviours and working practices.

Advancing Knowledge

We will advance DE&I knowledge across our organisation, developing our managers and employees to promote an inclusive respectful culture.

Annual review

We will review our commitment to ensure it reflects our evolving culture, the needs of our organisation and changing legislation.

Our commitment applies to:

Everyone we work with – employees, trustees, associates, suppliers, customers, clients, stakeholders and anyone associated with City & Guilds.

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Kirstie Donnelly, MBE

Chief Executive Officer

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Andy Moss

Chief Customer Officer

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Abid Ismail

Chief Financial Officer

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Faiza Khan, MBE

Executive Director, Corporate Affairs & Foundation


About this statement

The City & Guilds Executive have signed this statement to demonstrate our commitment to leading inclusion and elevate our focus and accountability around diversity, equity and inclusiveness (DE&I). This commitment is key to City & Guilds' ambition and strategy to shape the future with confidence, together.