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City and Guilds of London Institute

The City and Guilds of London Institute (City & Guilds) is a United Kingdom examining and accreditation body for vocational, managerial and engineering training, offering over 500 qualifications in 28 industry areas, spanning from entry level to the equivalent of a postgraduate degree.

Incorporated in 1880, the City and Guilds of London Institute was granted its Royal Charter (RC117) by Queen Victoria in 1900.

NOW THEREFORE know Ye that We by virtue of Our Royal Prerogative in that behalf and of other powers thereunto Us enabling of Our special Grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion by these presents do for Us Our Heirs and Successors give grant will direct ordain and declare as follows:-There shall from henceforth for ever be a Corporation aggregate by the name and style of "The City and Guilds of London Institute" and such Corporation is hereby instituted exclusively for the purpose of all such branches of Science and the Fine Arts and for the advancement dissemination propagation promotion culture and application of all such branches of Science and the Fine Arts as benefit or are of use to or may benefit or be of use to productive and technical industries especially and to commerce and industry generally or any branch thereof and for the utilisation of such means as will promote the several exclusive purposes aforesaid.

It is a registered charity (no. 312832). The Institute's president is HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (who has served in this role since 1951), and the current Chairman of Council is Michael Howell.

Although City & Guilds offers a large number of specific examinations, it is also an accreditation agency ensuring that qualifications bearing its approval reach the appropriate standard. Over 1.5 million learners work towards City & Guilds qualifications every year.

History

A meeting of 17 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 (CGLI), which aimed to improve the training of craftsmen. The 2 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 first established Finsbury Technical College in Cowper Street, off City Road, under the Institute's director 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 (who was also a Royal Engineer) to found their institution on the eighty-seven acre (350,000 m²) site at South Kensington bought by the 1851 Exhibition Commissioners (for GBP 342,500) 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, 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 (the Court) of Imperial College. The Institute also continues to award the Diploma of Associateship of the City & Guilds of London Institute (ACGI), 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. Its name survives however in the City & Guilds College Union (C&GCU)—the student union for the Imperial College Faculty of Engineering and the Tanaka Business School—and in the City & Guilds College Association (C&GCA).

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.

CGLI examination and accreditation bodies

In 1953 the Associated Examinations Board (AEB) was established and administered by City & Guilds.

1964 saw the creation of the National Examining Board for Supervisory Management (NEBSM) as part of the City & Guilds group, specialising in qualifications for supervisors and junior managers.

In 1973, the Technician Education Council (TEC) 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 (ONC/Ds) and Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNC/Ds), which were previously the responsibility of professional bodies.

In 1974, the Business Education Council (BEC) 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 (BTEC). This then merged with the University of London Examinations & Assessment Council (ULEAC) in 1996 to form Edexcel.

A national review of vocational qualifications took place in 1986, resulting in the establishment of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, again initially administered by City & Guilds.

In 1990 City & Guilds purchased the Pitman Examinations Institute, and City & Guilds International was established. The Pitman Qualifications Single Subject awards in business and administration and English language prove to be successful worldwide.

In 2002, the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) was formed through the merger of NEBSM and the Institute of Supervisory Management (ISM) and became part of the City & Guilds Group.

In 2004, the National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC)—specialists for agricultural land based qualifications—became part of the City & Guilds Group.

In 2005, the Hospitality Awarding Body (HAB)—specialists in awards for hospitality and catering—became part of the City & Guilds Group.

Vocational qualifications

Nowadays City & Guilds continues as an examination board offering a large number of qualifications mapped onto the British National Qualifications Framework (NQF). 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.

The range of qualifications cover the 'traditional' areas such as engineering, 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 Licentiateship (LCGI), Graduateship (GCGI), Membership (MCGI), and Fellowship (FCGI), recognise personal achievement and the application of professional knowledge in the workplace, allowing progression to the very highest levels of achievement.

Licentiateship (LCGI)

The Licentiateship award is at a supervisory/junior management level and mapped to NVQ/IVQ level 4 and National Qualifications Framework (NQF) revised levels 4 & 5.

As a minimum requirement, applicants must hold a level 3 qualification (e.g. NVQ level 3, City & Guilds Advanced Craft, BTEC National Diploma). Career extension evidence may take the form of a further qualification (e.g. NEBS Management Certificate, City & Guilds Further and Adult Education Teachers Certificate), membership of a relevant professional body or, for applicants over 26 years of age, confirmation of satisfactory performance in a supervisory or managerial role. 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 (e.g. an industry-recognised apprenticeship) or confirmation from a current or recent employer of at least five years’ appropriate employment.

Graduateship (GCGI)

The Graduateship award is at a middle management level, is mapped to a British Honours degree and is level 6 on the National Qualification Framework (NQF) (level 5 on the pre-2004 NVQ scale).

Applicants must have at least five years' managerial experience and will be able to prove specific managerial competencies such as:

Working to improve performance and keeping abreast of advances in their professional field.
Implementing and maintaining systems correctly to monitor quantity, quality, cost and time.
Defining problems and recommending solutions to improve efficiency of operations.
Understanding the company’s mission, and the social and economic implications of work undertaken.
Exercising responsibility for technical and managerial duties.

Associateship (ACGI)

The Associateship has been conferred upon successful students of the City & Guilds College continuously since 1887 in recognition of their ability to demonstrate the understanding and application of the principles of a branch of Engineering or of Computing Science at a level approved by the Institute.

Since 2002, when the City & Guilds College ceased to exist as a separate entity, the Associateship has continued to be conferred upon graduates of Imperial College who have been awarded a Bachelor of Science (Engineering), Bachelor of Engineering, or Master of Engineering degree in a discipline previous studied at the City & Guilds College.

The award recognises the special constitutional relationship between the CGLI and Imperial College and therefore is not available to graduates of other institutions.

Membership (MCGI)

The Membership award is at a strategic management/chartered professional level, is mapped to a British Master's degree and is level 7 on the National Qualification Framework (NQF).

Applicants need to be able to prove operational ability and expertise at strategic management level. This will be supported by a minimum of ten years' management experience in areas such as those described for the Graduateship award.

Fellowship (FCGI)

This is the highest award conferred by the Council of the City and Guilds of London Institute, recognising outstanding professional and personal achievement. It is mapped to the National Qualification Framework (NQF) to level 8 (Doctorate degree). Fellows are people who have demonstrated excellence in their field, who have gained the respect of their peers and who can be considered role models for their profession.

Fellowship may also be awarded Honoris Causa (Hon FCGI).

Fellowship honours high achievers and creates a formal link between influential people and the Institute, and those holding the award are encouraged to work with City & Guilds in raising standards in vocational training.

Recognition

Holders of City & Guilds Senior Awards are entitled to use appropriate post nominal letters (LCGI, ACGI, GCGI, MCGI, FCGI) and are invited to attend the annual graduation ceremony, where they wear the approved formal academic dress of a gown, hood and mortar board.

City & Guild higher level qualifications are acknowledged under the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

City and Guild higher level qualifications are yet to be recognized in some smaller third world states, e.g. Jamaica. The University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) is considering the qualifications at different levels, granted via assessment and learning but is reluctant because this is relatively new to them.

Engineering Council UK

The City and Guilds of London Institute conducts on behalf of the Engineering Council UK a world-wide Examination for those who wish to meet the academic standard for professional engineers (Chartered Engineer and Incorporated Engineer), and for those overseas who wish to obtain a well respected British engineering qualification.

There are three progressive levels:

The Engineering Council Certificate

This level focuses on the foundation principles of engineering. It is set at the same level as the first year of a UK degree course. Registration to the Certificate award is through possession of 2 "A" levels in science subjects, or their equivalent as may be agreed by Engineering Council Examinations at City & Guilds.

The Engineering Council Graduate Diploma

It is set at the same level as the final year of a British BEng. Registration to the Graduate Diploma is through possession of diploma subjects, or their equivalent as may be agreed by Engineering Council Examinations at City & Guilds.

The Engineering Council Postgraduate Diploma

It is set at the final year of a British MEng. Registration to the Postgraduate Diploma is through the Engineering Council Graduate Diploma, or its equivalent as may be agreed by Engineering Council Examinations at City & Guilds. Alternatively, by being exempted by a professional institution licensed by the Council to consider special cases through an Individual Case Procedure.

City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development (CSD)

City & Guilds also operates in research and development on an international level through the City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development This relatively new part of the organisation is committed to improve the policy and practice of skills education and training internationally. The CSD has contributed a major research paper to the extant body of research on the sector, detailing the standards and policies of vocational training in nine countries around the world.