The City and Guilds of London Institute is a vocational education organisation
in the United Kingdom. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over
the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training
providers in 81 countries worldwide. Two million people every year start City &
Guilds qualifications, which span all levels from basic skills to the highest
standards of professional achievement. Founded on November 11, 1878 by the City
of London and 16 livery companies – the traditional guardians of work-based
training – to develop a national system of technical education, City & Guilds
has been operating under Royal Charter, granted by Queen Victoria, since 1900.
The Prince of Wales later King Edward VII was then appointed the first
President of the Institute. City & Guilds is a registered charity.
The Institute's president is now HRH The Princess Royal who accepted this role in
June 2011, and the current Chairman of Council is Sir John Armitt, took office
in November 2012. History
A meeting of 16 of the City of London's livery companies in 1876 led to the
foundation of the City and Guilds of London Institute for the Advancement of
Technical Education, which aimed to improve the training of craftsmen,
technicians, technologists, and engineers. The two main objectives were
to create a Central Institution in London and to conduct a system of
qualifying examinations in technical subjects.
Unable at once to find a large enough site within the City of London for their
Central Institution, the CGLI occupied a building on land alongside Exhibition
Road in South Kensington, although its headquarters were in Gresham College in
the City. At the time John Watney was both secretary to the Gresham Committee
and the CGLI. Evening classes were offered at a school in Cowper Street,
off City Road, enabling instruction in chemistry and physics to be provided to
those who wished to continue their education after working during the day.
The school proved such a success that new premises had to be found in nearby
Leonard Street, which was formally opened on 19 February 1893 as Finsbury
Technical College. The Institute's director at the time was Sir Philip
Magnus, later University MP. Finsbury College was intended as the first of a
number of 'feeder' colleges for the Central Institution, but was almost the
only one founded; although The City & Guilds of London Art School was
established in 1879 in Kennington as an extension of the Lambeth School of Art
to provide training in carving, modelling and architectural decoration.
Finsbury College continued its separate existence until 1926.
= City & Guilds College= Faced with their continuing inability to
find a substantial site, the Companies were eventually persuaded by the
Secretary of the Science and Art Department, General Sir John Donnelly to
found their institution on the eighty-seven acre site at South
Kensington bought by the 1851 Exhibition Commissioners for 'purposes of art and
science' in perpetuity. The Central Technical College building
was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, better known as the architect of the
Natural History Museum. Located adjacent to the Central Institute on the site
were the Royal School of Mines and the Royal College of Science.
In 1907, the latter two colleges were incorporated by Royal Charter into the
Imperial College of Science and Technology and the CGLI Central
Technical College was renamed the City and Guilds College in 1907, but not
incorporated into Imperial College until 1910.
Although the City & Guilds College was for much of its life governed through
Imperial College, the City and Guilds Institute, together with a number of
livery companies in their own right, have maintained seats on the governing
body of Imperial College. The Institute also continues to award the Diploma of
Associateship of the City & Guilds of London Institute, first awarded to
students of the Central Institution who joined the earliest 3-year full-time
courses which started in February 1885. In 2002, under Imperial College's new
faculty structure, City & Guilds College, along with the other
constituent colleges, ceased to exist as a separate entity. In September 2013 the
Mechanical and Aeronautical engineering building at Imperial College was renamed
City and Guilds Building to acknowledge the historical legacy. Its name also
survives however in the City & Guilds College Union—the student union for the
Imperial College Faculty of Engineering and the Imperial College Business
School—and in the City & Guilds College Association.
Alumni of the CGLI Central Technical College, the City & Guilds College and
the new Imperial College Faculty of Engineering, unite under the City &
Guilds College Association. Established in 1897 as the Old Centralians, the
Association adopted its current name in 1992.
The Links Club is a club for students and alumni of the Faculty of
Engineering, Imperial College, formerly The City and Guilds College. Members are
elected on the basis of good sportsmanship and meet each Thursday in
South Kensington. = CGLI examination and accreditation
bodies= In 1953 the Associated Examinations
Board was established and administered by City & Guilds.
1964 saw the creation of the National Examining Board for Supervisory
Management as part of the City & Guilds group, specialising in qualifications
for supervisors and junior managers. In 1973, the Technician Education
Council was created to unify technical education, eventually taking over the
validation of courses in further and higher education. These courses led to
Ordinary National Certificates and Diplomas and Higher National
Certificates and Diplomas, which were previously the responsibility of
professional bodies. In 1974, the Business Education Council
was established, again administered by City & Guilds. This had a remit to
rationalise and improve the relevance of sub-degree vocational education in
Further Education and Higher Education colleges and in Polytechnics. Within 18
months, BEC took over responsibility for non-technical ONCs, ONDs, HNCs, HNDs and
other qualifications. BEC merged with TEC in 1984 to form the
separately administered Business & Technology Education Council. This then
merged with the University of London Examinations & Assessment Council in
1996 to form Edexcel. In 1990 City & Guilds purchased the
Pitman Examinations Institute, and Pitman Qualifications Single Subject
awards in business and administration and English language proved to be
successful worldwide. In 2002, the Institute of Leadership &
Management was formed through the merger of NEBSM and the Institute of
Supervisory Management and became part of the City & Guilds Group.
In 2004, the National Proficiency Tests Council - specialists for agricultural
land based qualifications - became part of the City & Guilds Group.
In 2005, the Hospitality Awarding Body - specialists in awards for hospitality
and catering - became part of the City & Guilds Group. In January 2010, all
active candidates were transferred to City & Guilds courses in order to remove
duplicate award provision across the Group.
In 2008, the City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development was formed as part of
the City & Guilds Group. Its mission is to influence and improve skills policy
and practice worldwide through an evidence-based approach.
Vocational qualifications City & Guilds continues as an
examination board offering a large number of qualifications mapped onto the
British National Qualifications Framework. The most common are the
vocational qualifications, from Entry-level to Level 3.
Entry-level qualifications are the real basics, for absolute beginners.
Level 1 qualifications are introductory awards, covering basic tasks and
knowledge. Level 2 is slightly more advanced,
needing some knowledge of the subject area.
Level 3 qualifications cover more complex tasks and also start the
development of supervisory skills. In many professions, level 3 is the
benchmark to be considered competent. These qualifications are now mapped onto
the new Qualifications and Credit Framework.
The range of vocational qualifications cover the 'traditional' areas such as
engineering technician, arts and craft, tradesman, health and social care,
hairdressing, automotive maintenance, construction, and catering, but also the
more obscure such as sheep shearing, DJing, flower arranging and even door
supervision. Higher level qualifications
City & Guilds offers a suite of higher level qualifications in a wide range of
subjects ranging from Professional Engineering, Engineering Technology,
Management, Building Services Engineering to various apprenticeships,
for higher technicians, tradesman, Craft, Travel and Tourism.
These qualifications consist of outcomes-based units, covering core,
specialised, and key management areas, which are assessed by means of written
assignment. = Higher Professional Diploma=
The Higher Professional Diploma is suitable for people who want to gain
both advanced technical skills and broader management knowledge. The
qualification comprises 12 units in total, mapped at level 4 of the QCF.
= Master Professional Diploma= The Master Professional Diplomas is
suitable for those working at the highest levels in a relevant industry.
The qualification comprises 8 units in total, mapped at level 7 of the QCF
= Professional Recognition Awards= (Former Senior Awards) As of Aug 2013
the awards are called - Professional Recognition Awards. In addition to Royal
Charter the awards are NQF accredited qualifications which enable candidates
to demonstrate their knowledge and skills within any sector or role. Those
achieving these awards will be entitled to use an appropriate, internationally
recognised post-nominal: Licentiateship, Affiliateship, Graduateship and
Membership. They can also help candidates working towards higher level
qualifications. These qualifications are ideal for those
working at the highest professional levels in any role or sector and looking
for an accredited qualification to provide recognition of their knowledge
and skills. = Licentiateship LCGI - level 4=
The learner would typically: have first-line responsibility for managing
day-to-day activities; manage resources in own area of responsibility;
constructively work with others to develop and maintain good working
relationships; develop and maintain good customer relationships; identify and
access opportunities for professional development; be able to apply
professional standards in own area of responsibility; take into account the
views and perspectives of others in decision-making; communicate effectively
and manage information in line with organisational and legal requirements;
consistently meet aims and objectives; exercise autonomy and judgment in work
role; and address problems that are well-defined but non-routine. Applicants
must provide evidence that they have performed competently in a relevant work
environment. Evidence of industrial achievement may take the form of an
industrial qualification or confirmation from a current or recent employer of at
least five years’ appropriate employment.
= Affiliateship, AfCGI - level 5= The learner would typically: have line
management responsibilities; anticipate, plan and lead change; manage
constructively work with others to develop and maintain good working
relationships; set direction and inspire others to work together to achieve
challenging outcomes; generate creative ideas to inform best practice and
continual improvement; monitor compliance with professional standards;
implement an effective communication strategy; develop and maintain good
customer relationships to support the customer-focused culture of the
organisation; analyse, identify and access professional development; address
problems that are well-defined but complex and non-routine; and exercise
autonomy and judgment in decision-making which takes into account the views and
perspectives of others. = Graduateship, GCGI - level 6=
The learner would typically address problems that are complex and
non-routine and use autonomy to make judgments, demonstrating an ability to
understand different perspectives, approaches and schools of thought.
Academic standing = UK Honours Undergraduate Degree
GCGI is equal/equivalent to the Level 6 Graduate Diploma in Engineering set at
the standard of the final year of a British BEng degree. It is advised that
the Level 6 Graduate Diploma in Engineering consist of 1800 Notional
Hours. = Membership, MCGI - level 7=
The learner would typically: have strategic leadership responsibilities;
articulate a vision for the future of the organisation or own area of
responsibility; take responsibility for leading the organisation or own area of
responsibility through complex change; have an in-depth understanding of
resources and manage them to meet organisational objectives; establish a
culture of mutual support and cohesion which values the contribution of others
and recognises success; promote innovation and generate ideas for
improvement; establish an environment and culture that assures and promotes
compliance with professional standards; develop a communication strategy for the
organisation or own area of responsibility; represent the
organisation to communicate on matters of importance and sensitivity and
establish robust methods for managing information; establish a strategy for
putting the customer at the centre of the organisation or own area of
responsibility; and champion professional development within the
organisation. Academic standing = UK Master's degree
= Fellowship, FCGI= This is not a qualification, it is an
honour - the highest that City & Guilds awards - conferred by the Council of the
City and Guilds of London Institute, as authorised by its Royal Charter. First
awarded in 1892, it recognises outstanding professional and personal
achievement. Fellowship is not a qualification that can be earned nor
does it form part of a progression route; it is an honour bestowed by
Council upon exceptional individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their
field, gained the respect of their peers and can be considered role models for
their profession. Until 1990, Fellowship was exclusive to holders of the
Associateship, namely engineering graduates from the City & Guilds
College, one of the constituent colleges of Imperial College London. Since 1990
it has been open to all those who have made outstanding achievements in sectors
and activities relevant to the work of City & Guilds. Fellows are entitled to
use the post-nominals FCGI after their name. Under the Institute's Royal
Charter, Fellowship may also be awarded Honoris Causa.
= Recognition= Royal Charter
OfQual NQF accredited qualifications which enable candidates to demonstrate
their knowledge and skills within any sector or role. Those achieving these
awards will be entitled to use an appropriate, internationally recognised
post-nominal: Licentiateship, Affiliateship, Graduateship and
Membership. City & Guild higher level qualifications
are acknowledged under the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
City & Guilds higher level qualifications are yet to be recognised
in some parts of the world, e.g. Jamaica. The University Council of
Jamaica is currently considering the qualifications at different levels,
granted via assessment and learning. = Higher Engineering Qualifications=
With the City & Guilds engineering qualifications, candidates can progress
to the top of their profession through registration with the UK’s top three
professional engineering institutions. City and Guilds has collaborated with
the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers and The Institution of Civil Engineers to align the Graduate
Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma with the registration requirements for
Incorporated Engineer and Chartered Engineer status. Holders of the Graduate
Diploma in Engineering are eligible to apply for Incorporated Engineer status,
while those who have achieved a Post Graduate Diploma in Engineering can
apply for Chartered Engineer status, through the individual peer reviewed
assessment route of the institutions. References
City and Guilds Qualifications Academic Comparison
External links City & Guilds Group website
City & Guilds website City & Guilds NPTC