Welcome to the May edition of our Foundation newsletter.
I am delighted to share that Ben Blackledge has been appointed as our new Chief Executive, due to start later in the year. Ben brings a wealth of experience in the skills and education sectors, most recently as CEO of WorldSkills UK, and I know he will be a tremendous asset as we continue to develop the Foundation's strategy and deepen our impact. I hope you will join me in welcoming him warmly to the role.
It was a real privilege to recently visit National Theatre alongside HRH The Princess Royal. The visit was a wonderful reminder of HRH’s unwavering personal commitment to skills and training, and of how actively she supports Princess Royal Training Award recipients in her role our President. You can read more about this and the incredible work of our Award recipients further in this edition.
Finally, I will be in touch over the coming weeks to engage further with you and our other partners on the development of the Foundation's evolving strategy and focus. There is much to look forward to, and I am grateful for your continued support and interest in our work.
Mike Adamson CBE | Interim Chief Executive
Funding the Clink Bakery: creating a
better future at HMP Brixton
What does a production patisserie kitchen inside a London prison have to do with reducing reoffending? Everything, it turns out.
The City & Guilds Foundation has awarded £50,000 to The Clink Charity to sustain and strengthen The Clink Bakery at HMP Brixton; a programme that is proving how the right combination of skills training and wraparound support can change the trajectory of people's lives.
Operating as a real production kitchen within the prison, the Bakery trains up to 40 learners a year in patisserie and confectionery, barista skills, customer service and nutrition – all leading to accredited City & Guilds qualifications. But the programme goes further than skills alone. Every learner is supported by The Clink's mentoring team, from personal development planning inside the prison through to help with housing and employment in the months following release.
Polly Rowe from the City & Guilds Foundation said: "The Clink Bakery is exactly the kind of programme the Foundation exists to support. When people in prison are given real skills, real support and real opportunities, the outcomes for them and for wider society are transformative."
With public sector funding pressures putting programmes like this at risk, the Foundation's investment helps protect a pathway that has demonstrated tangible results and ensures it continues to be available to the people who need it most.
Membership Awards 2026: recognise and celebrate your outstanding trainers
Our 2026 Membership Awards shine a spotlight on those tutors and trainers across the UK and Ireland who go above and beyond when it comes to delivering exceptional training and learning.
Free to enter, the Awards celebrate trainers and tutors who are making a real impact; not just on their trainees and learners, but also on their institutions and wider communities. Now is your opportunity to recognise that impact with a City & Guilds Foundation Membership Award.
Successful recipients receive Membership of the City and Guilds of London Institute, with post-nominals MCGI, and will be invited to a prestigious London-based ceremony to officially receive this honour. If you would like to recognise your amazing trainers in 2026, make sure you nominate them by 5 June.
How PRTA recipient
The National Theatre is rewriting access to the arts
In April, HRH The Princess Royal visited The National Theatre to celebrate its pioneering apprenticeship programme, recognised with a 2024 Princess Royal Training Award and a special Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commendation.
The programme was originally designed to tackle two of the creative industries' most persistent challenges: a lack of diversity and critical skills shortages in backstage, technical and craft roles. It does this by replacing unpaid internships with paid, structured apprenticeships open to people from a far broader range of backgrounds.
The visit was a compelling reminder of what long-term, strategic investment in skills can achieve and of HRH's personal commitment to the employers and individuals the Awards exist to champion.
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Ben Blackledge as the new Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Foundation. Ben joins from WorldSkills UK, where he spent the past 12 years, most recently as CEO, championing skills excellence and helping to create world-class opportunities for young people across the UK.
His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the Foundation as we continue to expand our work on inequality, productivity and access to skills, and we look forward to introducing Ben more fully to our community when he takes up the role later this year!
